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N.B. — Take out carefully, leaving about quarter of an inch 
at the back. To do otherwise would, in some cases, release 
other leaves. 



ALDEN, WILLIAM L. Christopher Colum- 
bus (1440-1506). The First American Citizen 
(By Adoption). By William L. Alden. New 
York: Henry Holt & Co., 1881. i6mo, pp. 287. 
(Lives of American Worthies). 



COLUMBUS, CHRISTOPHER, (1440-1506). 
The First American Citizen (By Adoption). By 
William L. Alden. New York : Henry Holt & 
Co., 1881. i6mo, pp. 287. (Lives of American 
Worthies). 



HISTORY. Christopher Columbus (1440-1506). 
The First American Citizen (By Adoption). By 
William L. Alden. New York : Henry Holt & 
Co., 1 88 1. i6mo, pp. 287. (Lives of American 
Worthies). 



LIVES OF AMERICAN WORTHIES. 

Under the above title, Messrs. Henry Holt & Co, 
are contributing one more biographical series to the 
number with which the reading world is being so abund- 
antly favored. 

That there may be something in the method of this 
series not altogether indentical with that of its numerous 
predecessors, contemporaries and promised successors, 
will perhaps be suspected from the list of subjects and 
authors thus far selected : 

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, (1440-1506), 

By W. L. Alden, ^of the New York Times), 
Author of " The Moral Pirates" etc. 
CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH, (1579^1631), 

By Charles Dudley Warner, Author of 
"My Summer in a Garden," etc. 
WILLIAM PENN, (1644-1715), 

By Robert J. Burdette, of the Burlington 
Hawkeye. 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, 1 706-1790), 

By 
GEORGE WASHINGTON, (1732-1799), 

By John Habberton, Author of " Helen's 
Babies," etc. 
THOMAS JEFFERSON, (1743-1826), 

By 
ANDREW JACKSON, (1767-1845), 

By George T, Lanigan, Author of '■'Fables 
out of the World." 
If the names of the authors awaken a suspicion 
that there may be something humorous in the books, it 
should be known that despite anything of that kind, the 
truth of history is adhered to with most uncompromising 
rigidity —perhaps, in some cases, a little too uncom- 
promising, or compromising : that depends on the point 
of view. 

Recent announcements make it proper to state that 
this series was begun several years before the date of 
this prospectus, and that the first volume published — 
Mr. Charles Dudley Warner's Life of Captain John 
Smith, was in type in the Spring of the current year. 

New York, November, 1881. 



LIVES OF AMERICAN WORTHIES 



Christopher Columbus 

(1440-1506) 



THE FIRST AMERICAN CITIZEN 
(BY ADOPTION) 



W. L. ALDEN 




(_'ai 



JX^ 



AG />, 



NEW YORK 
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 

1S81 



Copyright, 1881, 

BY 

HENRY HOLT & CO. 






Electrotyped and Printed by 

S.W. GREEN'S SON, 
74 and 76 Beekmon Street, 

»KW YOKK. 



CHAPTER I. 



EARLY YEARS 



pHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS was 

\j born at more places and to a greater 
extent than any other eminent man known 
to history. He was born at frequent in- 
tervals from 1436 to 1446, and at Cogoletto, 
Genoa, Finale, Oneglia, Savona, Padrello, 
and Boggiasco. Learned historians have 
conclusively shown that he was born at each 
one of the places, and each historian has 
had him born at a different date from that 
fixed upon by a rival historian. To doubt 
their demonstrations would be to treat his- 
tory and historians with gross irreverence, 
and would evince a singular lack of busi- 
ness tact on the part of one proposing to 
add another to the various histories of 
Columbus. 

Perhaps the majority of people believe 
that Columbus was born exclusively at 



2 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^Et. o 

Cogoletto ; but no one retains that belief 
after having once visited Cogoletto, and 
drank the painfully sour wine produced at 
that wretched little village. It is true that 
Mr. Tennyson, who remarks that he once 

" Stay'd the wheels at Cogoletto, 
And drank, and loyally drank, to him," 

still believes that it was the birthplace of 
the great Admiral. But this fact simply 
shows that Mr. Tennyson drank out of his 
own flask. Few people who visit Cogo- 
letto take this wise precaution, and the re- 
sult is that, after drinking to the memory 
of Columbus, they go on their way firmly 
convinced that wherever else he was born, 
he certainly was not born at Cogeletto. 

It was the opinion of the late Washing- 
ton Irving that Genoa was the real birth- 
place of Columbus. This opinion was 
what might have been expected from a 
man of such unfailing good taste. 

The production of infants is to this day 
one of the leading industries of Genoa, and 
as it is a large and beautiful city, we can- 



1436] EARLY YEARS. 3 

not do better than to adopt Mr. Irving's 
opinion that it was Columbus's favorite 
birthplace. At the same time we might 
as well select the year 1436 as the year of 
his birth, with the determination of adher- 
ing to it, for it adds much to the symmetry 
of a biography if the subject thereof is 
given a definite and fixed birthday. 

At his birth Christopher Columbus was 
simply Cristoforo Colombo, and it was not 
until he arrived at manhood that he was 
translated into Latin, in which tongue he 
has been handed down to the present 
generation. At a still later period he 
translated himself into Spanish, becoming 
thereby Christoval Colon. We can not 
be too thankful that he was never trans- 
lated into German, for we could scarcely 
take pride in a country discovered by one 
Hol0mp0. 

The father of Columbus was Domenico 
Colombo, a wool-comber by occupation. 
Whose wool he combed, and why he 
combed it, and whether wool-combing is 
preferable to wool-gathering as an intellec- 



4 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. i 

tual pursuit, are questions that have never 
been satisfactorily decided. 

Of Mrs. Colombo we simply know that 
her Christian name was Fontanarossa, or 
Red Fountain, a name more suitable to a 
Sioux Indian than a Christian woman, 
though perhaps, poor creature ! it was not 
her fault. 

Young Christopher was at an early age 
thoughtfully provided with two younger 
brothers — who were afterwards very use- 
ful to him — and a younger sister. The 
former were Giacomo, afterward known as 
Diego, and Bartolommeo, who has been 
translated into English as Bartholomew. 
The sister does not appear to have had 
any name, though her mother might have 
spared three or four syllables of her own 
name without feeling the loss of them. 
This anonymous sister married one Gia- 
como Bavarello, and promptly vanished 
into an obscurity that history cannot pene- 
trate. 

From his earliest years Christopher was 
an unusual and remarkable boy. One day 



1442] EARLY YEARS. 5 

when he was about six years of age he was 
sent by his mother, early in the morning, 
to the store to purchase a pound of '* blue- 
ing" for washing purposes. The morning 
grew to noon, and the afternoon waned 
until evening — processes which are not 
peculiar to the climate of Genoa — but the 
boy did not return, and his mother was 
unable to wash the family clothes. The 
truant had forgotten all about the "blue- 
mg," and was spending the entire day in 
company with the McGinnis boys, watch- 
ing a base-ball match in the City Hall 
Park between the Genoese Nine and the 
Red-legs of Turin. At dusk he returned, 
and his broken-hearted mother handed 
him over to his stern father, who invited 
him into the woodshed. As Christopher 
was removing his coat and loosening his 
other garments so as to satisfy his father 
that he had no shingles or school-atlases 
concealed about his person, he said : 

'' Father, I stayed to witness that base- 
ball match, not because of a childish curi- 
osity, nor yet because I had any money on 



6 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 6 

the game, but solely in order to study the 
flight of the ball, hoping thereby to obtain 
some hints as to the law of projectiles that 
would enable me to improve the science of 
gunnery, which is now by no means in an 
advanced state. If, in view of these cir- 
cumstances, you still think me worthy of 
punishment, I will submit with all the 
fortitude I can summon." 

The father, deeply moved at this frank 
confession, wore out two apple-tree switches 
in connection with his son, and informed 
him that if he ever went with those 
McGinnis boys again he would ** let him 
know." 

At another time, when Christopher was 
about eight years old, his father sent him 
to a news company's office to get the last 
number of the Wool-Combers Trade Re- 
view ; but, as before, the boy failed to re- 
turn, and after a prolonged search was 
given up as lost, and his parents decided 
that he had been run over by the horse- 
cars. Late in the evening Christopher 
was detected in the act of trying to sneak 



1443] EARLY YEARS. 7 

into the house through the kitchen win- 
dows, and was warmly received by his 
father, who stood him up in the middle of 
the kitchen, and without releasing his ear, 
demanded to know what he had to say for 
himself 

Christopher, with a saddened expression 
of face, replied : 

'' Father, I find it a matter of extreme 
difficulty to depart from the truth, even at 
this trying moment. Candor compels me 
to admit that I have spent the day in 
company with Michael and Patrick Mc- 
Ginnis, in studying the meteorological 
laws which affect the flight of kites. With 
the aid of the last number of the Wool- 
Combers Trade Review and a few sticks, 
I made a beautiful kite, and I can confi- 
dently say that — " 

Here the old gentleman, exclaiming, 
''That will do! Your explanation is 
worse than your other crime," applied a. 
rattan cane to the future explorer, and 
afterwards sent him to bed supperless. 

There is not a word of truth in these 



8 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. \I£x. 8 

two anecdotes, but they are introduced in 
order to afford the reader a shght gHmpse 
of the boyhood of Columbus. They prob- 
ably compare favorably, in point of vera- 
city, with the average anecdotes of the 
boyhood of great men, and they show us 
that even while Columbus was only six 
and eight years old he was interested in 
scientific pursuits, and already gave prom- 
ise of great tediousness. Still, it would 
be unwise for any one to believe them, 
and we will pass on to the more prosaic 
but truthful facts of Columbus's life. 

Young Christopher early conceived a 
prejudice against wool-combing, although 
it was his father's earnest desire that he 
should adopt that profession. Fernando 
Columbus, the son of the admiral, evident- 
ly felt ashamed of his noble father's early 
wool-combing exploits, and says that 
Domenico Colombo, so far from desiring 
his son to comb wool, sent him at the age 
of thirteen to the University of Pavia to 
study navigation, with a view of ultimately 
sending him to sea. Now, although the 



1449] EARLY YEARS, ' 9 

United States Government does undertake 
to teach seamanship with the aid of text- 
books to young men at the Annapohs 
Naval Academy, the idea that a young 
man could become a sailor without going 
to sea had never occurred to the Genoese, 
and old Domenico never could have been 
stupid enough to send his son to the Pavia 
University with the expectation that he 
would graduate with the marine degree 
of ^'A. B." Undoubtedly Christopher 
went to Pavia, but it is conceded that he 
remained there a very short time. If we 
suppose that, instead of studying his Livy, 
his Anabasis, and his Loomis's Algebra, 
he spent his time in reading Marryat's sea 
stories, and dime novels illustrative of 
piracy, we can understand why his univer- 
sity course came to a sudden end, and why 
Domenico remarked to his friends that 
Christopher studied navigation while at 
Pavia. 

We are told that from his earliest years 
Christopher desired to be a sailor. We 
also know that at that period the Mediter- 



10 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^U 14 

ranean swarmed with pirates. From these 
two facts any modern boy with sufficient 
reasoning powers to be able to put a dog, 
a string, and a tin can together, will deduce 
the conclusion that Christopher Columbus 
must have wanted to be a pirate. As to 
this there can be but little doubt. When 
he left Pavia and returned home to comb 
the paternal wool, he was doubtless fully 
determined to run away at the earliest op- 
portunity, and become a Red Revenger of 
the seas. 

With this clue, we can readily find in 
the conduct of the astute Domenico a wise 
determination to effect a compromise with 
his adventurous son. He did not want to 
be the father of a Red Revenger, but he 
knew that he could not compel his son to 
comb wool. He therefore induced him to 
consent to go to sea as a scourge and 
enemy of pirates ; and accordingly in his 
fourteenth year young Christopher went 
to sea on board a vessel commanded by a 
distant relative, who was at one time an 
admiral in the Genoese service. In what 



1459] EARLY YEARS, II 

capacity he shipped, whether as a first-class 
or a second-class boy, or as an acting 
third assistant cook, or an ordinary cabin- 
boy, we do not know. Fernando Colum- 
bus preserves a discreet silence as to this 
matter, and as to the first voyage of his 
father generally. Of course this silence 
means something, and perhaps Christopher 
had good reasons for never speaking of 
the voyage even to his son. Probably he 
was deathly sea-sick, and in that condition 
was severely kicked for not being able to 
lay his hand at a moment's warning upon 
the starboard main-top-gallant-studding-sail 
tripping-line, or other abstruse rope. At 
all events, he always abstained from telling 
stories beginning, '' I reck'lect on my first 
^'yg^ ;" and we may be sure that he would 
never have put such an unseamanlike con- 
straint upon his tongue unless he knew 
that the less he said about that voyage the 
better. 

He had been a sailor for some years 
when he joined a vessel forming part of an 
expedition fitted out in Genoa in 1459 ^7 



12 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 23 

a certain Duke of Calabria named John of 
Anjou, who wanted to steal the kingdom 
of Naples in order to give it to his father, 
Ren^ Count of Provence. So pious •a 
son naturally commanded universal respect, 
and Genoa provided him with ships and 
lent him money. The expedition was 
very large, and the old Admiral Colombo, 
with whom Christopher sailed, probably 
commanded the Genoese contingent. The 
fleet cruised along the Neapolitan coast, 
and sailed in and out the Bay of Naples 
any number of times, but owing to a fear 
of the extortions of the Neapolitan hack- 
drivers and valets-de-place, there seems to 
have been no attempt made to land at 
Naples. For four years John of Anjou 
persevered in trying to conquer Naples, 
but in vain ; and at the end of that time 
he must have had a tremendous bill to pay 
for his Genoese ships. 

While engaged in this expedition, Chris- 
topher was sent in command of a vessel to 
Tunis, where he was expected to capture a 
hostile galley. Carefully reading up his 



1459-70] EARLY YEARS. 1 3 

"■ Midshipman Easy" and his "• Blunt's 
Coast Pilot," he set sail; but on reachinsr 
the island of San Pedro, which can easily 
be found on any map where it is mentioned 
by name, he learned that there were also 
in the harbor of Tunis two ships and a 
carrick ; whereupon his crew remarked that 
they did not propose to attack an unlimited 
quantity of vessels, but that if Columbus 
would put into Marseilles and lay in a few 
more ships to accompany them, they would 
gladly cut out all the vessels at Tunis. 
Columbus was determined not to go to 
Marseilles, — though he does not definitely 
say that he owed money to the keeper of 
a sailor boarding-house there, — but he was 
unable to shake the resolution of his crew. 
He therefore pretended to yield to their 
wishes and set sail again, ostensibly for 
Marseilles. The next morning, when the 
crew came on deck, they found themselves 
near the Cape of Carthagena, and perceived 
that their wily commander had deceived 
them. 

This story is told by Columbus himself, 



14 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 23-3.> 

and it awakens in the mind of the intelh- 
gent reader some Httle doubt of the narra- 
tor's veracity. In the first place, he admits 
that he deceived his sailors, and hence we 
have no certainty that he was not trying 
to deceive the public when telling the 
story of the alleged deception. In the 
second place, it is scarcely probable that 
all the crew promptly ''turned in" at sun- 
set, leaving Columbus himself at the wheel ; 
but unless this was done, the compass or 
the stars must have told them that the ship 
was not laying the proper course for Mar- 
seilles. Finally, Columbus, in his exulta- 
tion at having deceived his crew, does not 
so much as mention Tunis, or the hostile 
vessels which it was his duty to attack, nor 
does he tell us what business he had at the 
Cape of Carthagena. We are thus justi- 
fied in assuming that the story is not 
entirely credible. Years afterward, on his 
first transatlantic voyage, Columbus de- 
ceived his men concerning the number of 
leagues they had sailed, and this exploit 
was so warmly commended by his admirers 



I459-70] EARLY YEARS. 1$ 

that he may have been tempted to remark 
that he always made a point of deceiving 
sailors, and may thereupon have invented 
this earher instance as a case in point. 
Still, let us not lightly impugn his veracity. 
Perhaps he really did tell the truth and 
deceive his sailors ; but whether he did or 
not, we should still remember that many 
of us are merely human, and that had we 
been in the place of Columbus we might 
have said and done a variety of different 
things. 

What became of Columbus during 
several subsequent years, we have no 
trustworthy account. In all probability 
he continued to follow the sea, and per- 
haps caught up with it now^ and then. 
We know, however, that at one time he 
commanded a galley belonging to a squad- 
ron under the command of Colombo the 
Younger, a son of the Colombo with 
whom Christopher sailed in the Neapoli- 
tan expedition. This squadron, falling in 
with a Venetian fleet somewhere off the 
Portuguese coast, immediately attacked it. 



l6 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 23-34 

Venice and Genoa being at that time at 
war. In the course of the battle the gal- 
ley of Columbus was set on fire, and as he 
had no available small-boats — a fact which 
must forever reflect disgrace upon the 
Genoese Navy Department — he was com- 
pelled to jump overboard with all his 
crew. He seems to have lost all interest 
in the battle after the loss of his galley, 
and he therefore decided to go ashore. 
He was six miles from land, but with the 
help of an oar which he put under his 
breast he swam ashore without difficulty, 
and when we consider that he was dressed 
in a complete suit of armor, it is evident 
that he must have been a very fine swim- 
mer. 

It should be mentioned that, although 
this story is told by Fernando Columbus, 
certain carping critics have refused to be- 
lieve it, on the paltry pretext that, inas- 
much as the naval fight in question took 
place several years after Columbus is 
known to have taken up his residence in 
Portugal, he could not have landed in that 



1459-70] EARLY YEARS. \*J 

country for the first time immediately after 
the battle. This is mere trifling. If Co- 
lumbus could swim six miles in a suit of 
heavy armor, and, in all probability, with 
his sword in one hand and his speaking- 
trumpet in the other, he could easily have 
performed the simpler feat of residing in 
Portugal several years before he reached 
that country. The truth is, that historians 
are perpetually casting doubt upon all 
legends of any real merit or interest. 
They have totally exploded the story of 
Washington and the cherry-tree, and they 
could not be expected to concede that 
Fernando Columbus knew more about his 
father than persons living and writing four 
hundred years later could know. As to 
Columbus's great swimming feat, they 
have agreed to disbelieve the whole story, 
and of course the public agrees with them. 



CHAPTER II. 

FIRST PLANS OF EXPLORATION. 

TT is at Lisbon that we are able for the 
■*- first time to put our finger decisively 
upon Columbus. The stray glimpses which 
we catch of him before that time, whether 
at Genoa, Pavia, Naples, or Cape Car- 
thagena, are fleeting and unsatisfactory ; 
his trustworthy biography begins with 
his residence at Lisbon. He reached 
there, we do not know by what route, in 
the year 1470, having no money and no 
visible means of support. Instead of bor- 
rowing money and buying an organ, or 
calling on the leader of one of the Lisbon 
political ''halls" and obtaining through his 
influence permission to set up a peanut 
stand, he took a far bolder course — he 
married. Let it not be supposed that he 
represented himself to be an ItaHan count, 
and thereby won the hand of an ambitious 



I470] FIRST PLANS OF EXPLORATION. I9 

Portuguese girl. The fact that he married 
the daughter of a deceased Italian navi- 
gator proves that he did not resort to the 
commonplace devices of the modern Ital- 
ian exile. Dona Felipa di Perestrello was 
not only an Italian, and as such could tell 
a real count from a Genoese sailor without 
the use of litmus paper or any other chem- 
ical test, but she was entirely without 
money and, viewed as a bride, was compli- 
cated with a mother-in-law. Thus it is 
evident that Columbus did not engage in 
matrimony as a fortune-hunter, and that 
he must have married Dona Felipa purely 
because he loved her. We may explain in 
the same way her acceptance of the penni- 
less Genoese ; and the fact that they lived 
happily together — if Fernando Columbus is 
to be believed — makes it clear that neither 
expected anything from the other, and 
hence neither was disappointed. 

The departed navigator, Di Perestrello, 
had been in the service of the Portuguese 
king, and had accumulated a large quan- 
tity of maps and charts, which his widow 



20 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 34 

inherited. She does not appear to have 
objected to her daughter's marriage, but the 
depressed state of Columbus's fortunes at 
this period is shown by the fact that he 
and his wife went to reside with his mother- 
in-law, where he doubtless learned that 
fortitude and dignity when exposed to vio- 
lence and strong language for which he 
afterwards became renowned. Old Ma- 
dame Perestrello did him one really good 
turn by presenting him with the maps, 
charts, and log-books of her departed hus- 
band, and this probably suggested to him 
the idea w^hich he proceeded to put into 
practice, of making and selling maps. 

Map-making at that time offered a fine 
field to an imaginative man, and Columbus 
was not slow to cultivate it. He made beau- 
tiful charts of the Atlantic Ocean, putting 
Japan, India, and other desirable Asiatic 
countries on its western shore, and placing 
quantities of useful islands where he con- 
sidered that they would do the most good. 
These maps may possibly have been some- 
what inferior in breadth of imagination to 



i47o] FIRST PLANS OF EXPLORATION, 2l 

an average Herald map, but they were 
far superior in beauty ; and the array of 
novel animals with which the various con- 
tinents and large islands were sprinkled 
made them extremely attractive. The man 
who bought one of Columbus's maps re- 
ceived his full money's worth, and what 
with map-selling, and occasional sea voy- 
ages to and from Guinea at times when 
Madame Perestrello became rather too free 
in the use of the stove-lid, Columbus man- 
aged to make a tolerably comfortable liv- 
ing. 

The island of Porto Santo, then recently 
discovered, lay in the track of vessels sail- 
ing between Portugal and Guinea, and 
must have attracted the attention of Co- 
lumbus while engaged in the several voy- 
ages which he made early in his married life. 

It so happened that Dona Felipa came 
into possession, by inheritance, of a small 
property in Porto Santo, and Columbus 
thereupon abandoned Lisbon and with his 
family took up his residence on that island. 
Here he met one Pedro Correo, a bold 



22 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS [JEi. 34 

sailor and a former governor of Porto San- 
to, who was married to Dona Felipa's sis- 
ter. Columbus and Correo soon became 
warm friends, and would sit up together 
half the night, talking about the progress 
of geographical discovery and the advan- 
tages of finding some nice continent full 
of gold and at a great distance from the 
widow Perestrello. 

At that time there were certain unprin- 
cipled mariners who professed to have dis- 
covered meritorious islands a few hundred 
miles west of Portugal ; and though we 
know that these imaginative men told 
what was not true, Columbus may have 
supposed that their stories were not entirely 
without a basis of truth. King Henry of 
Portugal, who died three years after Co- 
lumbus arrived at Lisbon, had a passion 
for new countries, and the fashion which 
he set of fitting out exploring expeditions 
continued to prevail after his death. 

There is no doubt that there was a gen- 
eral feeling, at the period when Columbus 
and Correo lived at Porto Santo, that the 



i47oJ FIRST FLANS OF EXPLORA TION. 23 

discovery of either a continent on the 
western shore of the Atlantic, or a new 
route to China, would meet a great popu- 
lar want. Although the Portuguese had 
sailed as far south as Cape Bojador, they 
believed that no vessel could sail any further 
in that direction without meeting with a 
temperature so great as to raise the water 
of the ocean to the boiling-point, audit was 
thus assumed that all future navigators 
desirous of new islands and continents 
must search for them in the west. The 
more Columbus thought of the matter, the 
more firmly he became convinced that he 
could either discover valuable islands by 
sailing due west, or that at all events he 
could reach the coast of Japan, China, or 
India ; and that it was clearly the duty of 
somebody to supply him with ships and 
money and put him in command of an ex- 
ploring expedition. With this view Cor- 
reo fully coincided, and Columbus made 
up his mind that he would call on a few 
respectable kings and ask them to fit out 
such an expedition. 



24 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 34 

Fernando Columbus informs us that his 
father based his conviction that land could 
be found by sailing in a westerly direction, 
upon a variety of reasons. Although many 
learned men believed that the earth was 
round, the circumference of the globe was 
then unknown ; and as every one had 
therefore a right to call it what he chose, 
Columbus assumed that it was compara- 
tively small, and that the distance from the 
Cape Verde Islands eastward to the west- 
ern part of Asia was fully two thirds of the 
entire circumference. He also assumed 
that the remainino; third consisted in ^reat 
part of the eastern portion of Asia, and 
that hence the distance across the Atlan- 
tic, from Portugal to Asia, was by no 
means great. In support of this theory 
he recalled the alleged fact that various 
strange trees and bits of wood, hewn after 
a fashion unknown in Europe, had from 
time to time been cast on the European 
shores, and must have come out of the 
unknown west. 

This theory, founded as it was upon 



1474] FIRST PLANS OF EXPLORATION. 25 

gratuitous assumptions, and supported by 
driftwood of uncertain origin and doubtful 
veracity, was regarded by Columbus as at 
least the equal of the binomial theorem in 
credibility, and he felt confident that the 
moment he should bring it to the attention 
of an enterprising king, that monarch 
would instantly present him with a fleet 
and make him Governor-General of all 
lands which he might discover. 

It was the invariable custom of Colum- 
bus to declare that his chief reason for de- 
siring to discover new countries was, that 
he might carry the Gospel to the pagan 
inhabitants thereof, and also find gold 
enough to fit out a new crusade for the 
recovery of the Holy Sepulchre. Whether 
old Pedro Correo winked when Columbus 
spoke in this pious strain, or whether Dona 
Felipa, with the charming frankness of her 
sex, remarked '' fiddlesticks ! " we shall 
never know. 

Perhaps Columbus really thought that 
he wanted to dispense the Gospel and fight 
the Mahometans, and that he did not care 



26 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 38 

a straw about becoming a great explorer 
and having the State capital of Ohio named 
for him ; but his fixed determination not 
to carry a particle of Gospel to the smallest 
possible pagan, except upon terms highly 
advantageous to his pocket and his schemes 
of personal aggrandizement, is scarcely re- 
concilable with his pious protestations. 
His own church decided, not very long 
ago, that his moral character did not pre- 
sent available materials for the manufac- 
ture of a saint, and it is only too probable 
that the church was right. 

It is a curious illustration of the determi- 
nation of his biographers to prove him an 
exceptionally noble man, that they dwell 
with much emphasis upon his stern deter- 
mination not to undertake any explorations 
except upon his own extravagant terms. 
To the unprejudiced mind his conduct 
might seem that of a shrewd and grasping 
man, bent upon making a profitable specu- 
lation. The biographers, however, insist 
that it was the conduct of a great and no- 
ble nature, caring for nothing except geo- 



1474] FIRST PLANS OF EXPLORATION. 2'J 

graphical discovery and the conversion of 
unhmited heathen. 

About this time Columbus is believed 
to have written a great many letters to va- 
rious people, asking their candid opinion 
upon the propriety of discovering new con- 
tinents or new ways to old Asiatic coun- 
tries. Paulo Toscanelli, of Florence, a 
leading scientific person, sent him, in an- 
swer to one of his letters, a map of the 
Atlantic and the eastern coast of Asia, 
which displayed a bolder imagination than 
Columbus had shown in any of his own 
maps, and which so delighted him that he 
put it carefully away, to use in case his 
dream of exploration should be realized. 
Toscanelli's map has proved to be of much 
more use to historians than it was to Co- 
lumbus, for the letter in which it was en- 
closed was dated in the year 1474, and it 
thus gives us the earliest date at which we 
can feel confident Columbus was entertain- 
ing the idea of his great voyage. 

How long Columbus resided at Porto 
Santo we have no means of knowing ; 



28 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t, 45 

neither do we know why he left that place. 
It is certain, however, that he returned to 
Lisbon either before or very soon after the 
accession of King John II. to the Portu- 
guese throne, an event which took place in 
1 48 1. Meanwhile, as we learn from one 
of his letters, he made a voyage in 1477 to 
an island which his biographers have agreed 
to call Iceland, although Columbus lacked 
inclination — or perhaps courage — to call it 
by that name. He says he made the voy- 
age in February, and he does not appear 
to have noticed that the water was frozen. 
The weak point in his narrative — provided 
he really did visit Iceland — is his omission 
to mention how he warmed the Arctic 
ocean so as to keep it free of ice in Feb- 
ruary. Had he only given us a descrip- 
tion of his sea-warming method, it would 
have been of inestimable service to the 
people of Iceland, since it would have ren- 
dered the island easily accessible at all 
times of the year, and it would also have 
materially lessened the difficulty which ex- 
plorers find in sailing to the North Pole. 



148 1] FIRST PLANS OF EXPLORATION. 29 

It is probable that Columbus visited some 
warmer and easier island than Iceland — 
say one of the Hebrides. In those days a 
voyage from southern Europe to Iceland 
would have been a remarkable feat, and 
Columbus would not have failed to de- 
mand all the credit due him for so bold an 
exploit. 

The immediate predecessor of King John 
— King Alfonso — preferred war to explo- 
ration, and as he was occupied during the 
latter part of his reign in a very interesting 
war with Spain, it is improbable that Co- 
lumbus wasted time in asking him to fit 
out a transatlantic expedition. There is a 
rumor that, prior to the accession of King 
John II., Columbus applied to Genoa for 
assistance in his scheme of exploration, 
but the rumor rests upon no evidence 
worth heeding. 

Genoa, as every one knows, was then a 
republic. It needed all its money to pay 
the expenses of the administration party at 
elections, to improve its inland harbors and 
subterranean rivers, and to defray the cost 



30 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 45 

of postal routes in inaccessible parts of the 
country. Had Columbus asked for an ap- 
propriation, the Genoese politicians would 
have denounced the folly and wickedness of 
squandering the people's money on scien- 
tific junketing expeditions, and would have 
maintained that a free and enlightened re- 
public ought not to concern itself with the 
effete and monarchical countries of Asia, 
to which Columbus was anxious to open 
a new route. 

Moreover, Columbus had been absent 
from Genoa for several years. He had no 
claims upon any of the Genoese states- 
men, and was without influence enough to 
carry his own ward. An application of 
any sort coming from such a man would 
have been treated with deserved contempt ; 
and we may be very sure that, however 
much Columbus may have loved the old 
Genoese flag and desired an appropriation, 
he had far too much good sense to dream of 
asking any favors from his fellow-country- 
men. Undoubtedly he was as anxious to 
start in search of America while he lived at 



i48i] FIRST PLANS OF EXPLORATION, 3 1 

Porto Santo as he was at a later period, but 
he knew that only a king would feel at lib- 
erty to use public funds in what the public 
would consider a wild and profitless expe- 
dition ; and as there was no king whom he 
could hope to interest in his scheme, he 
naturally waited until a suitable king should 
appear. 

The death of Alfonso provided him with 
what he imagined would prove to be a king 
after his own heart, for King John was no 
sooner seated on the throne than he be- 
trayed an abnormal longing for new coun- 
tries by sending explorers in search of 
Prester John. 

This Prester John was believed to be 
a Presbyterian deacon who ruled over a 
civilized and Christian kingdom which he 
kept concealed either about his person or 
in some out-of-the-way part of the world. 
The wonderful credulity of the age is shown 
by this belief in a Presbyterian king whom 
no European had ever seen, and in a king- 
dom of which no man knew the situation„ 
It ought to have occurred to the Portu- 



32 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 45 

guese king that, even if he could find this 
mythical monarch, he would not take any- 
real pleasure in his society, unless he were 
to burn him. King John II. was a pious 
Roman Catholic, and, next to a Method- 
ist, a Presbyterian king would have been 
about the most uncongenial acquaintance 
he could have made. Nevertheless, this 
Presbyterian myth was indirectly of great 
service to Columbus. 

King John, in order to facilitate his 
search for Prester John, asked a scientific 
commission to invent some improvements 
in navigation, the result of wiiich was the 
invention of the astrolabe, a sort of rudi- 
mentary quadrant, by means of which a 
navigator could occasionally find his lati- 
tude. This invention was hardly inferior 
in value to that of the compass, and it is 
generally said to have provided Columbus 
with the means of finding his way across 
the Atlantic and back to Europe. 

Next to the discovery of Prester John, 
the Portuguese king desired to discover a 
route by sea to India. He believed with 



1481-82J FIRST PLANS OF EXPLORATION. 33 

his deceased grand-uncle, Prince Henry, 
that Africa could be circumnavigated — 
provided the circumnavigators could avoid 
being boiled alive south of Cape Bojador 
— and that a road to India could thus be 
found. It was manifest that he was just 
the sort of monarch for Columbus's pur- 
poses. He was so anxious to make dis- 
coveries that he would have been delighted 
even to find a Presbyterian. He was par- 
ticularly bent upon finding a route to 
India, and he was only twenty-five years 
old. He was the very man to listen to 
a solemn and oppressive mariner with his 
pockets full of maps and his mind full of 
the project for a transatlantic route to India. 
Columbus was now about forty-six years 
old, and his beard was already white. He 
had dwelt so long upon the plan of cross- 
ing the Atlantic that he resembled the 
Ancient Mariner in his readiness to but- 
ton-hole all sorts of people and compel 
them to listen to his project. Mrs. Pere- 
strello appears to have been safely dead at 
this time, and Pedro Correo had probably 



34 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 45-46 

been talked to death by his relentless 
brother-in-law. Still, Columbus was as 
anxious to carry out his plan as ever. He 
marked young King John as his prey, and 
finally obtained an audience with him. 



CHAPTER III. 

IN SEARCH OF A PATRON. 

WE have two accounts of the inter- 
view between Columbus and the 
King — one written by Fernando Colum- 
bus, and the other by Juan de Barros, an 
eminent geographer. Fernando says that 
the King listened with great delight to the 
project of Columbus, and only refrained 
from instantly giving him the command 
of an expedition because he did not feel 
ready to consent to Columbus's conditions. 
De Barros says that King John finally 
professed that he approved of Columbus's 
views merely to get rid of that persistent 
mariner. 

However this may be, the King re- 
ferred the whole matter to a committee, 
with power to send for maps and things. 
The committee consisted of two geog- 



36 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 45-46 

raphers — who of course hated Columbus 
with true scientific hatred — and the King's 
confessor, the Bishop of Ceuta. It did 
not take very long for the committee to 
decide that Columbus was a preposterous 
person, and that his project was impracti- 
cable. The King then referred the matter 
to his council, where it was hotly debated. 
The Bishop of Ceuta took the broad, gen- 
eral ground that exploration was an idle 
and frivolous occupation ; that no men of 
sense wanted any new countries ; and that 
if the King must have amusement, the 
best thing he could do would be to make 
war upon the Moors. 

Don Pedro de Meneses replied with 
much vigor, hurling back the Bishop's 
accusations against exploration, and nail- 
ing his reverence's misstatements as boldly 
as if the two were rival Congressmen. As 
for himself, Don Pedro said, he liked new 
continents, and believed that Portugal 
could not have too many of them. He 
considered Columbus a great man, and 
felt that it would be a precious privilege 



1482-84] IN SEARCH OF A PATRON. 37 

for other people to aid in the proposed 
transatlantic scheme. 

Nevertheless, the council decided against 
it, much, we are told, to the King's disap- 
pointment. 

The Bishop of Ceuta, in spite of his 
remarks at the meeting of the committee, 
evidently thought there might be some- 
thing in Columbus's plan after all. He 
therefore proposed to the King that Co- 
lumbus should be induced to furnish writ- 
ten proposals and specifications for the 
discovery of transatlantic countries, and 
that with the help of the information thus 
furnished the King should secretly send 
a vessel to test the practicability of the 
scheme. This was done, but the vessel 
returned after a few days, having discov- 
ered nothing but water. 

As soon as Columbus heard of this trick 
he became excessively angry, and resolved 
that King John should never have a square 
foot of new territory, nor a solitary hea- 
then soul to convert, if he could help it. 
Accordingly, he broke off his acquaint- 



38 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. \_K\.. 46-48 

ance with the King, and proposed to leave 
Lisbon, in the mean time sending his 
brother Bartholomew to England to ask 
if the English King would like to order a 
supply of new islands or a transatlantic con- 
tinent. His wife had already succumbed 
to her husband's unremitting conversation 
concerning explorations, and died, doubt- 
less with much resignation. Madame 
Perestrello, Pedro Correo, and Mrs. Co- 
lumbus were probably only a few of the 
many unhappy Portuguese who suffered 
from the fatal conversational powers of 
Columbus, and Portugal may have become 
rather an unsafe place for him. This would 
account for the stealthy way in which he 
left that kingdom, and is at least as prob- 
able as the more common theory that he 
ran away to escape his creditors. 

It was in the year 1484 that Columbus, 
accompanied by his son Diego, shook the 
dust of Portugal from his feet and climbed 
over the back-fence into Spain, in the dead 
of night, instead of openly taking the reg- 
ular mail-coach. The King of England 



1484] IN SEARCH OF A PATRON. 39 

had refused to listen to Bartholomew's 
proposals, and King John had been guilty 
of conduct unbecoming a monarch and a 
gentleman. This may have given Colum- 
bus a prejudice against kings, for he made 
his next applications to the Dukes of 
Medina Sidonia and Medina Celi — two 
noblemen residing in the south of Spain. 

Medina Sidonia listened to Columbus 
with much interest, and evidently re- 
garded him as an entertaining kind of 
lunatic ; but after a time he became seri- 
ously alarmed at the Italian's inexhaustible 
capacity for talk, and courteously got rid 
of him before sustaining any permanent 
injury. The Duke of Medina Celi was a 
braver man, and not only invited Colum- 
bus to come and stay at his house, but 
actually spoke of lending him ships and 
money. He changed his mind, however, 
and told Columbus that he really could 
not take the liberty of fitting out an expe- 
dition which ought to be fitted out by a 
king. Columbus then remarked that he 
'vould step over to France and speak to 



40 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 4S 

the French King about it ; whereupon the 
Duke hastily wrote to Queen Isabella, of 
Castile and Aragon, mentioning that he 
had a mariner of great merit in his house, 
whom she really ought to see. The Queen 
graciously wrote, requesting the Duke to 
forward his ancient mariner to the royal 
palace at Cordova, which he accordingly 
did, furnishing Columbus at the same time 
with a letter of introduction to Her Maj- 
esty. 

Spain was then merely a geographical 
expression. Ferdinand, King of Aragon, 
had recently married Isabella, Queen of 
Castile, and their joint property was called 
the Kingdom of Castile and Aragon ; for, 
inasmuch as the Moors still ruled over the 
southern part of the peninsula, it would 
hav^e been indelicate for Ferdinand and his 
queen to pretend that they were the mon- 
archs of all Spain. 

When Columbus reached Cordova he 
found that their majesties were on the 
point of marching against the Moors, and 
had no time to listen to any plans of ex- 



1484-87] IN SEARCH OF A PATRON: 4I 

ploration. Before starting, however, the 
Queen deposited Columbus with Alonzo 
de Quintanilla, the treasurer of Castile, 
and, we may presume, took a receipt for 
him. Quintanilla, an affable old gentle- 
man, was much pleased with Columbus, 
and soon became a warm advocate of his 
theories. He introduced the navigator to 
several influential friends, and Columbus 
passed the summer and winter very pleas- 
antly. 

At Cordova he also met a young person 
named Beatrix Enriquez, to whom he be- 
came much attached, and who was after- 
ward the mother of his son Fernando. 
She probably had her good qualities ; but 
as Columbus was so much preoccupied 
with his transatlantic projects he forgot to 
marry her, and hence she is scarcely the 
sort of young person to be introduced into 
a virtuous biography. 

During the same winter the King and 
Queen held their court at Salamanca, after 
having made a very brilliant foray into the 
Moorish territory, and having also sup- 



42 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 48-51 

pressed a rebellion in their own domin- 
ions. Columbus went to Salamanca, where 
he made the acquaintance of Pedro Gon- 
salvez de Mendoza, the Cardinal- Arch- 
bishop of Toledo, who was decidedly the 
most influential man in the kingdom. 
When Columbus first mentioned his proj- 
ect, the Cardinal told him the Scriptures 
asserted that the earth was flat, and that it 
would be impious for him to prove it was 
round ; but Columbus soon convinced him 
that the Church would be greatly benefited 
by the discovery of gold-mines all ready to 
be worked, and of heathen clamoring to 
be converted, and thus successfully recon- 
ciled science and religion. The Cardinal 
heartily entered into his scheme, and soon 
obtained for him an audience with the 
King. 

Columbus says that on this occasion he 
spoke with an eloquence and zeal that he 
had never before displayed. The King lis- 
tened with great fortitude, and when Co- 
lumbus temporarily paused in his oration 
had still strength enough left to dismiss him 



1484-87] IN SEARCH OF A PATRON. 43 

with a promise to refer the matter to a 
scientific council. In pursuance of this 
promise he directed Fernando de Talavera, 
the Queen's confessor, to summon the most 
learned men of the kingdom to examine 
Columbus thoroughly and decide upon 
the feasibility of his plan. As for the 
Queen, she does not appear to have been 
present at the audience given to Columbus, 
either because her royal husband considered 
the female mind incapable of wrestling 
with geography, or because he did not 
think her strong enough to endure Colum- 
bus's conversation. 

The scientific Congress met at Sala- 
manca without any unnecessary delay, and 
as few people except priests had any learn- 
ing whatever at that period, the Congress 
consisted chiefly of different kinds of 
priests. They courteously gave Columbus 
his innings, and listened heroically to his 
interminable speech, after which they pro- 
ceeded to demonstrate to him that he was 
little better than a combined heretic and 
madman. They quoted the Bible and the 



44 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 48-51 

opinions of the Fathers of the church in 
support of the theory that the earth was 
flat instead of round. 

When Columbus in his turn proved that 
the Bible and the Fathers must be under- 
stood in a figurative sense, the priests then 
took the ground that if the world was 
round, Columbus could not carry enough 
provisions with him to enable him to sail 
around it, and that he could not sail back 
from his alleged western continent unless 
his vessels could sail up-hill. 

Gradually the more sensible members of 
the congress came to the conclusion that 
it would be better to agree to everything 
Columbus might propose, rather than 
listen day after day to his appalling elo- 
quence. Still, the majority were men of 
ascetic lives and great physical endurance, 
and they showed no disposition to yield to 
argument or exhaustion. The sessions 
of the Congress were thus prolonged 
from day to day, and Columbus was kept 
in a painful state of suspense. Little did 
he imagine that in the land which he was 



1484-87] IN SEARCH OF A PA TRON. 45 

destined to discover, another Congress 
would meet, not quite four hundred years 
later, and would even surpass the Congress 
of Salamanca in the tediousness and use- 
lessness of its debates. 



CHAPTER IV. 

HE RECEIVES HIS COMMISSION. 

THE spring of 1487 arrived, and the 
Council of Salamanca had not yet 
made its report. The King and Queen, 
who seem to have required an annual 
Moorish war in order to tone up their 
systems, set out to besiege Malaga early 
in the spring, taking De lalavera with 
them, so that he might be on hand to con- 
fess the Queen in case she should find it 
desirable to commit a few sins and require 
subsequent absolution. The departure 
of De Talavera interrupted the sittings of 
the Council, and left Columbus without 
any regular occupation. During the siege 
of Malaga he was more than once sum- 
moned to the camp, ostensibly to confer 
with the court upon his famous project, 
but the proposed conferences never took 
place. He became so tired of the sus- 



1489] HE RECEIVES HIS COMMISSION. 47 

pense in which he was kept, that he wrote 
to King John of Portugal, giving him one 
more chance to accede to his transatlantic 
plans. Not only did King John answer his 
letter and ask him to come to Lisbon, but 
King Henry VII. of England also wrote 
to him, inviting him to come to England 
and talk the matter over. At least, Co- 
lumbus says that those two kings wrote to 
him ; though the fact that he did not ac- 
cept their invitations, but preferred to 
waste his time in Spain, casts a little doubt 
upon his veracity. It is certainly improba- 
ble that he would have waited for years in 
the hope of another interview with Ferdi- 
nand and Isabella, if at the same time two 
prominent kings were writing to him and 
urging him to bring his carpet-bag and 
make them a nice long visit. 

In the spring of 1489 Columbus was 
summoned to Seville, and was positively 
assured that this time he should have a 
satisfactory conference with a new assort- 
ment of learned men. But no sooner had 
he reached Seville than the King and 



48 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 53 

Queen suddenly remembered that they 
had not had their usual spring war, and 
thereupon promptly started to attack the 
Moors. Columbus went with them, and 
fought with great gallantry. Probably it 
was in some measure due to a dread of his 
awful conversational powers that the Moor- 
ish king surrendered, and it is to the honor 
of the Christian monarchs that they did 
not abuse their victory by permitting Co- 
lumbus to talk to the royal prisoner. 

Another year passed away, and stMi 
Columbus was waiting for a decision upon 
the feasibility of his plan. In the spring 
of 1 49 1 he finally became so earnest i«n 
demanding a decision, that the King di- 
rected De Talavera and his learned friends 
to make their long-delayed report. They 
did so, assuring the King that it would be 
absurd for him to waste any money what- 
ever in attempting to carry out the Italian's 
utterly ridiculous plan. Still Ferdinand 
did not care to drive Columbus to despair, 
but politely informed him that after he 
should have finished the annual Moorish 



I49ij HE RECEIVES HIS COMMISSION. 49 

war upon which he was just about to 
enter, he would really try to think of the 
propriety of fitting out an expedition. 

Columbus had now been nearly seven 
years in Spain, waiting for the King to 
come to a final decision ; and this last post- 
ponement exhausted his patience. The 
court had from time to time supplied him 
with money ; but he was not willing to 
spend his life as a pensioner on the royal 
bounty, while the western continent was 
vainly calling to him to come over and dis- 
cover it. He therefore left Seville, with 
the resolution to have nothing further to do 
with Spain, but to proceed to France and 
try what he could do with the French king. 

He seems to have journeyed on foot, 
for the very next time we hear of him is 
as a venerable and imposing tramp, accom- 
panied by an unidentified small-boy, and 
asking for food — presumably buckwheat 
cakes, and eggs boiled precisely three min- 
utes — at the gate of the convent of Santa 
Maria de Rabida. 

The Prior of the convent, Juan Perez 



50 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 55 

de Marchena, happened to notice him, and 
entered into conversation with him. Co- 
lumbus told him his name, and mentioned 
that he was on his way to a neighboring 
town to find his brother-in-law ; from 
which we learn that four hundred years 
ago the myth of a brother-in-law in the 
next town was as familiar to the tramps 
of that period as it is to those of the 
present day. As the Prior listened to this 
story without making any remarks upon 
its improbability, Columbus was tempted 
to launch into general conversation, and 
in a few moments told him all about his 
desire to find a transatlantic continent, and 
his intention of offering to the King of 
France the privilege of assisting him. 

Doubtless the good friar found his con- 
vent life rather monotonous, and perceiv- 
ing vast possibilities of conversation in 
Columbus, he determined to ask him to 
spend the night with him. Columbus, of 
course, accepted the invitation, and, the 
Prior sending for the village doctor, the 
three spent a delightful evening. 



I49i] HE RECEIVES HIS COMMISSION. $1 

The next day both the Prior and the 
doctor agreed that Columbus was really a 
remarkable man, and that it would be dis- 
graceful if the French king were to be 
allowed to assist in discovering a new con- 
tinent. The Prior sent for several ancient 
mariners residing in the neighboring port 
of Palos, and requested them to give their 
opinion of the matter. With one accord, 
they supported the scheme of Columbus 
with arguments the profundity of which 
Captain Bunsby himself might have envied ; 
and one Martin Alonzo Pinzon, in particu- 
lar, was so enthusiastic that he offered to 
pay the expenses of Columbus while mak- 
ing another application to the court, and 
to furnish and take command of a vessel 
in case the application should be successful. 

The religious interests of the convent 
must have suffered somewhat from the 
Prior's geographical soirees. It must 
have required a great deal of punch to 
bring those ancient seafaring men into una- 
nimity upon any subject, and the extent 
to which Columbus unquestionably availed 



52 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [.Et. 55 

himself of the opportunity for unrestrained 
conversation must have left the Prior no 
time whatever for prayers. He may have 
excused himself to his own conscience by 
pretending that to listen to Columbus was 
a means of mortifying the flesh ; but, 
plausible as this excuse was, it could not 
justify the introduction of punch, seafaring 
men, and village doctors into a professedly 
religious house. 

The upshot of the matter was, that the 
Prior resolved to write a letter to the 
Queen, and old Sebastian Rodriguez, a 
veteran sailor, staked the future integrity 
of his personal eyes upon his delivery of 
the letter into the hands of Isabella. The 
Prior had been formerly the Queen's con- 
fessor, and of course he knew how to 
awaken her interest by little allusions to 
the sinful secrets that she had committed 
to his holy keeping. 

The letter was written, and in two weeks* 
time Rodriguez brought back an answer 
summoning the Prior to court. The good 
old man was overjoyed, and immediately 



1491-92] HE RECEIVES HIS COMMISSION. 53 

went to Santa F4 where the King and 
Queen were stopping, on their way to 
another Moorish war. When he was ad- 
mitted to the Queen's presence, he con- 
ducted himself with so much discretion, 
and made so favorable an impression, that 
Isabella gave him the magnificent sum of 
twenty thousand maravedies, and told him 
to hand it over to Columbus, and to send 
that persistent navigator immediately to 
her. It is somewhat of a disappointment 
to learn that the twenty thousand marave- 
dies were in reality worth only seventy-two 
dollars ; still they were enough to enable 
Columbus to buy a mule and a new spring 
overcoat, and thus to appear at court in 
an impressive manner. 

The particular Moorish war upon which 
the King and Queen were then engaged 
was the very last one of the series, and it 
was confessedly of so much importance 
that Columbus did not try to obtain an 
audience until it was finished. In the 
mean time he lived with his old friend 
Alonzo de Quintanella, the treasurer. 



54 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 55-56 

At last the day came when, the war 
being ended, Columbus was summoned to 
meet a committee of which De Talavera 
appears to have been the chairman. This 
time the feasibility of his scheme was ad- 
mitted, and it only remained to settle the 
terms upon which he would agree to fur- 
nish Spain with new continents. Though 
Columbus expected to reach the eastern 
coast of Asia by crossing the Atlantic, that 
part of Asia was so wholly unknown to 
Europeans, that its discovery by means of 
a transatlantic voyage would have enabled 
the discoverer to take possession of it as a 
new continent ; and it was hence quite 
proper for Columbus to speak of discover- 
ing a new world when he was really intend- 
ing to discover the eastern half of what we 
now call the Old world. 

It is all very well to have a good opinion 
of one's self, but Columbus really did put 
what seems to unprejudiced people a tre- 
mendous price upon his services. Not 
only did he demand one tenth of whatever 
profits might be derived from his dis- 



1491-92] HE RECEIVES HIS COMMISSION. 5 5 

coveries, but he insisted that he should be 
made an admiral, and viceroy over every 
country that he might discover. One of the 
committee justly remarked that the pro- 
posed arrangement was one by which Co- 
lumbus had everything to gain and nothing 
to lose, and that if he made no discoveries 
whatever he would still be a Spanish admi- 
ral, and would outrank scores of deserving 
officers who had spent their Hves in the 
service of their country. Columbus there- 
upon modified his terms by consenting to 
take only an eighth of the profits, and to 
furnish one eighth of the expenses. 

It so happened that some member of 
the committee knew that one eighth was 
more, instead of less, than one tenth. We 
need not wonder, therefore, that the com- 
mittee reported that the terms proposed 
were inadmissible. De Talavera told the 
Queen that he had met with a good deal of 
''cheek" in his time, but the cheek of Co- 
lumbus was positively monumental, and 
that nature designed him not for an ex- 
plorer but for a life-insurance agent. 



$6 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 55-56 

The result was that the Queen decided 
to have no more to do with the affair, and 
Columbus, in a tremendous rage, climbed 
upon his mule and rode out of Santa Fe, 
remarking that he wouldn't discover a con- 
tinent for the Spanish m.onarchs if conti- 
nents were as thick as blackberries. He 
furthermore declared that he would go 
straight to France and make a contract 
with the French king, and that the Span- 
iards would never cease to regret their 
short-sighted economy. 

As the extremity of the Columbian mule 
vanished through the city gate, Luis de St. 
Angel, treasurer of the Church funds of the 
kingdom of Aragon, and the much-suffer- 
ing Quintanella — who did not believe that 
Columbus would really go to France, and 
were convinced that the true way in which 
to be permanently rid of him was to send 
him on his proposed expedition — hastened 
to the palace, and told the monarchs that 
they were risking the loss of a new conti- 
nent because they were afraid to risk two 



1491-92] fJE RECEIVES HIS COMMISSION, S7 

ships and a comparatively small sum of 
money, and because they hesitated to give 
the title of Admiral to an explorer who, if 
he did not succeed, would in all probability 
never return to Spain. 

The Queen was much impressed by this 
straightforward statement of facts, and ad- 
mitted that she would like to employ Co- 
lumbus upon his own terms. The King, 
instead of saying, '' Certainly, my dear ; do 
so, by all means !" began to speak of the 
emptiness of the treasury and the necessity 
for economy. Of course this made Isa- 
bella indignant, and she rose up and ex- 
claimed, '' I will undertake the enterprise 
in behalf of Castile, and will raise the 
money if I have to pawn my jewels." 

Quintanella and St. Angel applauded 
this resolution, and the latter offered to 
advance the necessary money without any 
security whatever. Inasmuch as the money 
in St. Angel's hands belonged to Aragon, 
this was a remarkably neat way of saddling 
the whole expense upon King Ferdinand's 



58 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 55-56 

private dominions ; and there are few ladies 
who will not concede that it served the 
King right. 

A messenger was at once sent to recall 
Columbus, and that astute person, grimly 
smiling at the success of his threat to go 
to France, prevailed upon his mule to turn 
back and reenter Santa Fd He was im- 
mediately given an audience with the 
Queen, and a contract was drawn up in 
which his utmost demands were recog- 
i^ized. He was to have a tenth of every- 
/thing, and to rank with the High Admiral 
/ of Castile, while instead of his being re- 
quired to contribute an eighth of the cost 
of the expedition, it was simply specified 
that he might make such a contribution if 
he should feel so inclined. The contract 
was signed on the 17th of April, 1492, and 
Columbus's commission as Admiral and 
Viceroy was immediately made out and 
given to him. 

From 1474 to 1492, or precisely eigh- 
teen years, Columbus had been seeking 
for assistance to cross the Atlantic. Dur- 



1492] HE RECEIVES HIS COMMISSION. 59 

ing that entire period he was without 
money, without any visible means of sup- 
port, and without powerful friends. Never- 
theless, he finally obtained from Ferdinand 
and Isabella a full compliance with de- 
mands that to nearly every Spaniard seemed 
wildly preposterous. To what did he owe 
his success? It seems very plain that it 
must have been due to his unparalleled 
powers of conversation. We know that 
most of those persons with whom he was 
on familiar terms when he first conceived^ 
his scheme soon died, and the inference that \ 
they were talked to death is irresistible. '^ 
Beyond any doubt, these were only a few of 
his victims. Columbus talked in Portugal 
until he was compelled to fly the kingdom, 
and he talked in Spain until the two 
monarchs and a few other clear-headed 
persons felt that if he could be got out of 
the country by providing him with ships, 
money, and titles, it must be done. We 
can readily understand why the news that 
he was actually about to leave Spain, and 
to undertake a voyage in the course of 



6o CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

which it was universally believed he would 
be drowned, was received by the Spaniards 
with unanimous delight. Women wept 
tears of joy, and strong men went into 
secluded corners and stood on their heads 
in wild hilarity. The day of their deliver- 
ance was at hand, and the devastating 
career of the terrible talker was nearly at 
an end. 



CHAPTER V. 

HE IS COMMISSIONED, AND SETS SAIL. 

ON the 1 2th of May, 1492, Columbus 
left Santa Fe for Palos, the seaport 
from which his expedition was to sail. 
He left his small-boy, Diego, behind him, 
as page to Prince Juan, the heir of Castile 
and Aragon. Diego was the son of his 
lawful wife, and it is pleasant to find that, 
in spite of this fact, Columbus still remem- 
bered him. His favorite son was of course 
Fernando, who, with his mother, Beatrix, 
seems to have been sent away to board in 
the country during Columbus's absence at 
sea. 

As soon as he arrived at Palos, Colum- 
bus called on his worthy friend the Prior, 
and on the next day the two went to the 
church of St. George, where the royal 
order directing the authorities of Palos to 
supply Columbus with two armed ships, 



62 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 56 

and calling upon everybody to furnish the 
expedition with all necessary aid, was read 
aloud by a notary-public. The authorities, 
as well as the other inhabitants of Palos, 
were naturally only too glad to do every- 
thing in their power to hasten the departure 
of Columbus ; but it was found f s:tremely 
difficult to procure ships or sailors for the 
expedition. The merchants very justly 
said that, much as they might desire to 
have Columbus drowned, they did not care 
to furnish ships at their own expense for 
an enterprise in the interest of all classes 
of the community. The sailors declared 
that they were ready to ship for any voyage 
which might be mentioned, but that it was 
a little too much to ask them to go to sea 
with Columbus as their captain, since he 
would undoubtedly use his authority to 
compel them to listen to a daily lecture on 
''Other Continents than Ours," thus ren- 
dering their situation far worse than that 
of ordinary slaves. 

The King and Queen, learning of the 
failure of Columbus to obtain ships and 



1492] HE IS COMMISSIONED. 63 

men, and fearing that he might return to 
court, ordered the authorities of Palos to 
seize ehgible vessels by force, and to kid- 
nap enough sailors to man them. This 
would probably have provided Columbus 
with ships and men, had not the short- 
sighted monarch appointed one Juan de 
Peiialosa to see that the order was exe- 
cuted, and promised him two hundred ma- 
ravedies a day until the expedition should 
be ready. De Penalosa was perhaps not 
the intellectual equal of the average 
American office-holder, but he had sense 
enough to appreciate his situation, and of 
course made up his mind that it would 
take him all the rest of his natural life to 
see that order carried out. Accordingly, 
he drew his pay with great vigor and faith- 
fulness, but could not find any ships which, 
in his opinion, were fit to take part in the 
proposed expedition. The people soon 
perceived the state of affairs, and de- 
spaired of ever witnessing the departure 
of Columbus. 

Doubtless De Penalosa would have gone 



64 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

on for years failing to find the necessary 
ships, had not two noble mariners resolved 
to sacrifice themselves on the altar of their 
country. Martin Alonzo Pinzon and Vin- 
cente Yanez Pinzon, his brother, were the 
two marine patriots in question. They 
offered a ship and crew, and the magis- 
trates, emulating their patriotism, seized 
two other ships and ordered them to be 
fitted for service. 

These vessels were under one hundred 
tons' burthen each, and only one of them, 
the Santa Marian was decked over. In 
model they resembled the boats carved by 
small inland boys, and their rig would 
have brought tears to the eyes of a modern 
sailor — provided, of course, a way of 
bringing a modern sailor to Palos to in- 
spect them could have been devised. If 
we can put any faith in woodcuts, the 
Santa Maria and her consorts were two- 
masted vessels carrying one or two large 
square sails on each mast, and remotely 
resembling dismasted brigs rigged with 
jury-masts by some passengers from In- 



1492] HE IS COMMISSIONED. 6$ 

diana who had studied rigging and seaman- 
ship in Sunday-school books. The pre- 
tence that those vessels could ever beat to 
windward cannot be accepted for a mo- 
ment. They must have been about as fast 
and weatherly as a St. Lawrence ''pin flat," 
and in point of safety and comfort they 
were even inferior to a Staten Island 
ferry-boat. 

The Pinta was commanded by Martin 
Pinzon, and the Niiia by Vincente Pin- 
zon. No less than four pilots were taken, 
though how four pilots could have been 
equally divided among three ships without 
subjecting at least one pilot to a subdi- 
vision that would have seriously impaired 
his efficiency, can not readily be compre- 
hended. Indeed, no one has ever satisfac- 
torily explained why Columbus wanted 
pilots, when he intended to navigate utterly 
unknown seas. It has been suggested that 
he had bound himself not to talk to an 
intemperate extent to his officers or men, 
and that he laid in a supply of private 
pilots purely for the purpose of talking to 



66 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

them. It is much more probable that a 
law of compulsory pilotage existed at that 
time in Spain, — for it was a dark and 
ignorant age, — and that, inasmuch as Co- 
lumbus would have had to pay the pilots 
whether he took them with him or not, he 
thought he might as well accept their ser- 
vices. Besides, he may have remem- 
bered that a vessel rarely runs aground 
unless she is in charge of a pilot, and hence 
he may have imagined that pilots pos- 
sessed a peculiar skill in discovering unex- 
pected shores at unlooked-for moments, 
and might materially help him in discover- 
ing a new continent by running the fleet 
aground on its coast. 

A royal notary was also sent with the 
expedition, so that if any one should sud- 
denly desire to swear or affirm, as the case 
might be, it could be done legally. The 
three vessels carried ninety sailors, and the 
entire expeditionary force consisted of one 
hundred and twenty men. 

The ship - carpenters and stevedores, 
doubtless at the instigation of Penalosa, 



1492] HE IS COMMISSIONED. 6/ 

made all the delay they possibly could, 
and at the last moment a large number of 
sailors deserted. Other sailors were pro- 
cured, and finally everything was in readi- 
ness for the departure of the fleet. On 
Friday the 3d of August, 1492, Columbus 
and his officers and men confessed them- 
selves and received the sacrament, after 
which the expedition put to sea. 

In spite of the knowledge that Colum- 
bus was actually leaving Spain with a very 
slight prospect of ever returning, the de- 
parture of the ships cast a gloom over 
Palos. The people felt that to sacrifice 
one hundred and nineteen lives, with three 
valuable vessels, was a heavy price to pay, 
even for permanently ridding Spain of the 
devastating talker. Still, we are not told 
that they permitted sentiment to over- 
power their patriotism, and they were pro- 
bably sustained by the reflection that it 
was better that one hundred and nineteen 
other people should be drowned, than that 
they themselves should be talked to death. 

It is universally agreed that it is impos- 



68 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

sible not to admire the courage displayed 
by Columbus and his associates. The 
ships of the expedition were small and 
unseaworthy. They were not supplied 
with ice-houses, hot water, electric bells, 
saloons amidships where the motion is 
least perceptible, smoking and bath rooms, 
or any of the various other devices by 
which the safety of modern steamships is 
secured. The crew knew that they were 
bound to an unknown port, and that if 
their vessels managed to reach it there 
was no certainty that they would find any 
rum. Columbus had employed eighteen 
years in convincing himself that if he once 
set sail he would ultimately arrive some- 
where ; but now that he was finally afloat, 
his faith must have wavered somewhat. 
As he was an excellent sailor, he could 
not but have felt uncomfortable when he 
remembered that he had set sail on Fri- 
day. However, he professed to be in the 
very best of spirits, and no one can deny 
that he was as brave as he was tedious. 
On the third day out, the Pinta unship- 



1492] HE IS COMMISSIONED. 69 

ped her rudder, and soon after began to 
leak badly. Her commander made shift 
partially to repair the disaster to the rud- 
der, but Columbus determined to put into 
the Canaries, and charter another vessel 
in her place. lie knew that he was then 
not far from the Canaries, although the 
pilots, either because their minds were 
already weakening under the strain of 
their commander's conversation, or be- 
cause they were ready to contradict him 
at every possible opportunity, insisted that 
the islands were a long way off. Colum- 
bus was right, and on the 9th of August 
they reached the Canaries, where we may 
suppose the pilots were permitted to go 
ashore and obtain a little rest. 

For three weeks Columbus waited in 
hopes of finding an available ship, but he 
was disappointed. The Piiita was there- 
fore repaired to some extent, and the Nina 
was provided with a new set of sails. A 
report here reached Columbus that three 
Portuguese men-of-war were on their way 
to capture him — doubtless on the charge 



70 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

of having compassed the death of several 
Portuguese subjects with violent and pro- 
longed conversation. He therefore set 
sail at once, and as he passed the volcano, 
which was then in a state of eruption, the 
crews were so much alarmed that they were 
on the point of mutiny. Columbus, how- 
ever, made them a speech on the origin, 
nature, and probable object of volcanoes, 
which soon reduced them to the most ab- 
ject state of exhaustion. 

Nothing was seen of the Portuguese men- 
of-war, and it has been supposed that some 
practical joker alarmed the Admiral by 
filling his mind with visions of hostile ships, 
when the only Portuguese men-of-war in 
that part of the Atlantic were the harmless 
little jelly-fish popularly known by that 
imposing title. 

It was the 6th day of September when 
the expedition left the Canaries, but owing 
to a prolonged calm it was not until the 
Qth that the last of the islands was lost 
sight of. We can imagine what the de- 
voted pilots must have suffered during 



1492] HE IS COMMISSIONED. /I 

those three days in which Columbus had 
nothing to do but talk ; but they were 
hardy men, and they survived it. They 
remarked to one another that they could 
die but once ; that care had once killed a 
vague and legendary cat ; and in various 
other ways tried to reconcile themselves to 
their fate. 

The crew on losing sight of land became, 
so we are told, utterly cast down, as they 
reflected upon the uncertainty of ever again 
seeing a Christian grog-shop, or joining 
with fair ladies in the cheerful fandango. 
Mr. Irving says that '' rugged seamen shed 
tears, and some broke into loud lamenta- 
tion,'^ and that Columbus thereupon made 
them a long speech in order to reconcile 
them to their lot. The probability is that 
Mr. Irving reversed the order of these two 
events. If Columbus made a long speech 
to his crew, as he very likely did, there is 
no doubt that they shed tears, and lament- 
ed loudly. 

Lest the crew should be alarmed at the 
distance they were rapidly putting between 



^2 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

themselves and the spirituous Hquors of 
Spain, Columbus now adopted the plan of 
daily falsifying his reckoning. Thus if the 
fleet had sailed one hundred miles in any 
given twenty-four hours, he would an- 
nounce that the distance sailed was only sixty 
miles. Meanwhile he kept a private log- 
book, in which he set down the true courses 
and distances sailed. This system may 
have answered its purpose, but had the 
fleet been wrecked, and had the false and 
the true log-books both fallen into the 
hands of the underwriters, Columbus would 
not have recovered a dollar of insurance, 
and would probably have been indicted for 
forgery with attempt to lie. The lawyer 
for the insurance company would have put 
in evidence the two entries for, let us say, 
the loth of September; the one reading, 
"Wind E.S.E., light and variable ; course 
W. by N. ; distance by observation since 
noon yesterday, 6i miles;" and the other, 
or true entry, reading, ''Wind E.S.E. ; 
course W. by N. ; distance by observa- 
tion since noon yesterday, 1 1 7 miles. At 



1492] HE IS COMMISSIONED. 73 

seven bells in the morning watch, furled 
main-top-gallant sails, and put a single reef 
in all three topsails. This day ends with a 
strong easterly gale." With such evidence 
as this, he would easily have proved that 
Columbus was a desperate villain, who had 
wrecked his vessels solely to swindle the 
insurance companies. Thus we see that 
dishonesty will vitiate the best policy, pro- 
vided the underwriters can prove it. 

It was perhaps this same desire to lead 
his crew into the belief that the voyage 
would not be very long, which led Colum- 
bus to insert in the sailing directions given 
to the two Pinzons an order to heave-to 
every night as soon as they should have 
sailed seven hundred leagues west of the 
Canaries. He explained that unless this 
precaution were taken they would be liable 
to run foul of China in the night, in case 
the latter should not happen to have lights 
properly displayed. This was very thought- 
ful^ but there is no reason to think that it 
deceived the Pinzons. They knew per- 
fectly well that Columbus had not the least 



74 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 56 

idea of the distance across the Atlantic, 
and they probably made remarks to one 
another in regard to the difficulty of catch- 
ing old birds with chaff, which the Admi- 
ral would not have enjoyed had he heard 
them. 

Thus cheerfully cheating his sailors, and 
conversing with his pilots, Columbus en- 
tered upon his voyage. A great many 
meritorious emotions are ascribed to him 
by his biographers, and perhaps he felt sev- 
eral of them. We have, however, no evi- 
dence on this point, and the probability is 
that he would not have expressed any feel- 
ing but confidence in his success to any 
person. He had long wanted to sail in 
quest of new continents, and his wish was 
now gratified. He ought to have been con- 
tented, and it is quite possible that he w^as. 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE VOYAGE. 



IN those days everybody supposed that 
the needle always pointed due north. 
Great was the astonishment of Columbus 
when, a few days after leaving the Cana- 
ries, he noticed what is now called the vari- 
ation of the compass. Instead of point- 
ing to the north, the needle began to 
point somewhat to the west of north ; 
and the farther the fleet sailed to the west, 
the greater became the needle's variation 
from the hitherto uniform direction of all 
respectable needles. Of course Columbus 
at first supposed that his compass was out 
of order, but he soon found that every com- 
pass in the fleet was conducting itself in the 
same disreputable way. The pilots also 
noticed the startling phenomenon, and said 
it was just what they had expected. In seas 
so remote from the jurisdiction of Spain, 



76 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [..f:t. 56 

who could expect that the laws of Nature 
would be observed ? They did not like to 
grumble, but still they must say that it was 
simply impious to sail in regions where 
even the compass could not tell the truth. 
But Columbus was not the man to be put 
to confusion by remarks of this kind. He 
calmly told the pilots that the compass was 
all right ; it was the North Star that was 
wrong, and he never had felt much confi 
dence in that star, anyway. Then inviting 
the pilots to come down into his cabin 
and take a little — well, lunch, he explained 
to them with such profound unintelligi- 
bility the astronomical habits and customs 
of the North Star, that they actually be- 
lieved his explanation of the variation of 
the compass. There are those who hold 
that Columbus really believed the North 
Star was leaving its proper place ; but the 
theory does gross injustice to the splendid 
mendacity of the Admiral. The man who 
could coolly assert that if his compass dif- 
fered from the stars the latter were at fault, 
deserves the wonder and admiration of 



1492] THE VOYAGE. 77 

even the most skilful editor of a campaign 
edition of an American party organ. 

The sailors would probably have grum- 
bled a good deal about the conduct of 
the compass had they noticed it ; but it 
does not appear that they had any sus- 
picion that it had become untrustworthy. 
Besides, the fleet was now fairly in the 
trade-wind, and very little labor was re- 
quired in the management of the vessels. 
The sailors, having little to do, were in 
good spirits, and began to see signs of 
land. A large meteor was seen to fall into 
the sea, and soon after a great quantity of 
sea-weed w^as met, among which tunnj^- 
fish made their home. The Admiral also 
caught a small crab. Crabs, tunny-fish, 
sea-weed, and meteors must h^ve been, in 
those days, exclusively products of the 
land ; otherwise, there was no reason why 
Columbus and his men should have re- 
garded them as proofs of the vicinity of 
land. They did, however, meet with a 
bird of a variety — so the oldest mariners 
asserted — that never sleeps except on a 



78 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

good substantial roosting-place. This really 
did give them some reason to imagine that 
land was not very far off; but as the result 
showed, the bird was painfully untrust- 
worthy. 

Day after day the so-called signs of land 
were seen. A large reward was offered to 
the first person who should see the sought- 
for continent, and consequently everybody 
was constantly pretending that a distant 
cloud or fog-bank was land, and then find- 
ing fault with the Admiral because he 
would not change his course. One day 
a pair of boobies — a bird singularly mis- 
named, in view of the fact that it rarely 
flies out of sight of land — rested in the 
rigging. Another day three birds of a 
kind — which, every one knows, were even 
better than two pairs — came on board 
one of the ships in the morning, and flew 
away again at night, and it was the uni- 
versal opinion that they sang altogether 
too sweetly for sea-birds ; the voices of the 
gull, the stormy petrel, and the albatross 
being notoriously far from musical. 



1492] THE VOYAGE. 79 

After a time these signs ceased to give 
the crews any comfort. As they forcibly 
observed, ''What is the use of all your 
signs of land, so long as you don't fetch 
on your land ?" They became convinced 
that the sea was gradually becoming 
choked up with sea-weed, and that the 
fact that the surface of the water re- 
mained unruffled, although there was a 
steady breeze from the east, was proof 
that something was seriously wrong. We 
now know that the expedition was in the 
Sargasso Sea, a region of sea-weed and 
calms, and that in point of fact Columbus 
was lucky in not being becalmed for a 
year or two without any means of bring- 
ing his vessels to a more breezy region. 
This, however, he did not know, and he 
explained the quiet of the sea by asserting 
that the fleet was already in the lee of the 
unseen land. 

The men nevertheless continued to be 
discontented, and declined any longer to 
believe that land was near. Even the 
sight of a whale — which, as every one 



80 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

knows, is a land animal — failed to raise 
their spirits, although Columbus told them 
that, now that he had seen a whale, he 
knew they must be very near the shore. 
The sailors would not listen to his argu- 
ment, and openly insulted his whale. They 
said he had brought them to a region 
where the wind either blew steadily from 
the east or scarcely blew at all ; in either 
case opposing an insuperable obstacle to 
sailing back to Spain, for which reason, 
with the charming consistency of sailors, 
they wanted to turn back immediately 
and steer for Palos. Still, they did not 
break into open mutiny, but confined 
themselves to discussing the propriety of 
seizing the vessels, throwing Columbus 
overboard, and returning to Spain, where 
they could account for the disappearance 
of the Admiral by asserting that he had 
been pushed overboard by the cat, or had 
been waylaid, robbed, and murdered by 
the James boys ; or by inventing some 
other equally plausible story. Happily, 
the wind finally sprang up again, and the 



1492] THE VOYAGE. 8 1 

sailors, becoming more cheerful, postponed 
their mutiny. 

The typical biographer always begs us 
to take notice that Columbus must have 
been a very great man, for the reason that 
he prosecuted his great voyage in spite of 
the frequent mutinies of the sailors ; and 
as we shall hereafter see, Columbus was 
troubled by mutinies during other voy- 
ages than his first one. At the present 
day, however, the ability of a sea-captain 
would not be estimated by the number of 
times his crew had mutinied. If Colum- 
bus was really an able commander, how 
did it happen that he ever allowed a mu- 
tiny to break out ? Very likely his flag- 
ship was short of belaying-pins and hand- 
spikes, but did not the Admiral wear a 
sword and carry pistols ? and was he not 
provided with fists and the power to use 
them ? Instead of going on deck at the 
first sign of mutinous conduct on the part 
of any one of the crew, and striking terror 
and discipline into the offender with the 
first available weapon, he seems to have 



82 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

waited quietly in the cabin until the sailors 
had thrown off all authority, and then to 
have gone on deck and induced them to 
resume work by delivering a lecture on 
geography and the pleasures of explora- 
tion. But we should remember that he 
was in command of Spanish vessels, and 
that Spanish views of seamanship and dis- 
cipline are peculiar. 

On the 25th of September, Martin Pin- 
zon, whose vessel happened to be within 
hailing distance of Columbus, suddenly 
shouted that he saw land in the south- 
west, and wanted that reward. The al- 
leged land rapidly became clearly visible, 
and seemed to be a very satisfactory piece 
of land, though it was too far off to show 
any distinctively Japanese, Chinese, or East 
Indian features. Columbus immediately 
called his men together, made a prayer, 
and ordered them to sing a psalm. The 
fleet then steered toward the supposed 
land, which soon proved to be an exas- 
perating fog-bank, whereupon the sailors 
unanimously agreed that Columbus had 



1492] THE VOYAGE, 83 

trifled with the hoHest feehngs of their 
nature, and that they could not, with any 
self-respect, much longer postpone the 
solemn duty of committing his body to 
the deep. 

About this time a brilliant idea occurred 
to the Pinzons. It was that the true direc- 
tion in which to look for land was the 
south-west, and that Columbus ought to 
give orders to steer in that direction. As 
they had no conceivable reason for this be- 
lief, and could advance no argument what- 
ever in support of it, they naturally adhered 
to it with great persistency. Columbus 
decHned to adopt their views — partly be- 
cause they were the independent views of 
the Pinzons, and, as is well known, no 
subordinate officer has any right to inde- 
pendent views, and partly because they 
were entirely worthless. The Pinzons 
were therefore compelled to console them- 
selves by remarking that of course the 
Admiral meant well, but they were sadly 
afraid he was a grossly incompetent dis- 
coverer. On the 7th of October the spirits 



84 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

of the sailors were temporarily raised by a 
signal from the Nma, which was a short 
distance in advance, announcing that land 
was positively in sight. This also proved 
to be a mistake, and doubts began to be 
entertained as to whether, in case land 
should be discovered, it would wait for 
the fleet to come up with it, or would 
melt away into invisibility. 

Although Columbus would not change 
his course at the request of the Pinzons, 
he now announced that he had seen sev- 
eral highly respectable birds flying south- 
west, and that he had made up his mind to 
follow them. This may have pleased the 
Pinzons, but it did not satisfy the sailors. 
They came aft to the sacred precincts of 
the quarter-deck, and informed Columbus 
that they were going home. Unhappy 
men ! The Admiral instantly began a 
speech of tremendous length, in which he 
informed them that he should continue 
the voyage until land should be reached, 
no matter how long it might last. The 



1492] THE VOYAGE, 8^ 

more the men clamored, the more per- 
sistently Columbus continued his speech, 
and the result was that they finally went 
back to their quarters, exhausted and quite 
unable to carry out their intention of 
throwing him overboard. 

The very next morning a branch of a 
thorn-bush; a board which had evidently 
been subjected to the influences of some 
sort of saw-mill, and a stick which bore 
the marks of a jack-knife, floated by. 
There could be no doubt now that land 
was near at last, and the mutinous sailors 
became cheerful once more. 

It was certainly rather odd that those 
branches, boards, and sticks happened to 
come in sight just at the moment when 
they were needed to revive the spirits 
of the men, and that during the entire 
voyage, whenever a bird, a whale, a meteor, 
or other sign of land was wanted, it always 
promptly appeared. Columbus expresses 
in his journal the opinion that this was 
providential, and evidently thought that, 



86 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^Et. 56 

on the whole, it was a handsome recog- 
nition of his transcendent merits. Con- 
cerning this we are not required to give 
any decision. 

The wind blew freshly from the east, 
and the fleet sailed rapidly before it. In 
the evening Columbus fancied that he saw 
a light, which he assumed to be a lantern 
in the hands of some one on land. He 
called the attention of a sailor to it, who 
of course agreed with his commander that 
the light was a shore light. At about two 
o'clock on the following morning — the 
1 2th of October — a sailor on board the 
Pmta, named Rodrigo de Triana, posi- 
tively saw land — this time without any 
postponement. 

Most of us have been taught to believe 
that the discovery of the New World was 
signalized by the joyful cry of '' Land ho ! 
from the Pintar A little reflection will 
show the gross impossibility that this ex- 
clamation was ever made by anybody 
connected with the expedition. In the 
first place, "• Land ho ! from the Pmta' is 



1492] THE VOYAGE, 8/ 

an English sentence, and, so far as is 
known, neither Columbus nor any of his 
officers or men knew a word of English. 
Then the expression would have been- 
meaningless. What was '' Land ho ! from 
the Pinta' ? and why should the sailors 
have referred to vague and unintelligible 
land of that nature, when their thoughts 
were fixed on the land which lay on the 
near horizon ? Obviously this story is 
purely mythical, and should no longer have 
a pl^ce in history. 

As soon as it was certain that land was 
in sight, the fleet hove-to and waited for 
daylight. The voyage was ended, at last. 
Columbus was about to set foot on trans- 
atlantic soil, and the sailors were full of 
hope that the rum of the strange land 
would be cheap and palatable. Perhaps 
the only unhappy man on board the fleet 
was Rodrigo de Triana, who first saw the 
land but did not receive the promised re- 
ward ; Columbus appropriating it to him- 
self, on the ground that, having fancied 
he saw a hypothetical lantern early in the 



S8 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 56 

evening, he was really the first to see land, 
and had honestly and fairly earned the 
reward. Let us hope that he enjoyed it, 
and felt proud whenever he thought of his 
noble achievement. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE DISCOVERY. 

WHEN the day dawned, an island was 
seen to be close at hand, and the de- 
sire to go ashore was so keen that in all 
probability little attention was paid to 
breakfast. The officers put on all their 
best clothes, and Columbus and the two 
Pinzons, each bearing flags with appro- 
priate devices, entered the boats and were 
rowed ashore. What were considered ap- 
propriate devices to be borne on banners 
such as were used on the occasion of the 
landing of Columbus, we do not know, the 
liistorians having forgotten to describe 
the banners with minuteness. Perhaps 
" Heaven bless our Admiral " and " Cuba 
Libre" were the so-called appropriate 
devices. 

The natives, assuming that Columbus 
and his companions had a brass band with 



90 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

them, which would begin to play when the 
boats should reach the shore, precipitately 
fled, and concealed themselves. As soon 
as he landed, Columbus threw himself on 
his knees, kissed the earth, and recited a 
prayer. He then took possession of the 
island in due form, and announced that it 
was called San Salvador ; though how he 
had thus early discovered its name we 
are not told. Everybody was then made 
to take an oath of allegiance to Columbus 
as Viceroy, in the presence of the notary 
whom he had so thoughtfully brought with 
him. 

Business being thus properly attended 
to, the sailors were allowed to amuse them- 
selves by tasting the strange fruits which 
they saw before them, and by searching 
earnestly but without success for a wine- 
shop. 

The natives gradually took courage and 
approached the strangers, whom they de- 
cided to be emigrants from heaven. Co- 
lumbus smiled sweetly on them, and gave 
them beads, pocket-knives, pin-cushions, 



1492] THE DISCOVERY. 9 1 

back numbers of the Illustrated Londo7z 
News, and other presents such as are popu- 
larly believed to soothe the savage breast. 
As, however, they did not seem to appre- 
ciate the Admiral's speeches, and as the 
sailors could find no rum, the order was 
given to return to the ships. The natives 
thereupon launched their canoes and pad- 
dled out to the vessels to return the visit of 
the Spaniards. They brought with them 
specimens of a novel substance now known 
35 cotton, and a few small gold ornaments, 
which created much enthusiasm among the 
sailors. The Admiral promptly proclaimed 
that gold, being a royal monopoly, he only 
had the right to buy it, and that, in view of 
the immense importance which he foresaw 
that cotton would assume in dressmaking 
and other industries, he should conduct 
the cotton speculations of that expedition 
himself. As the natives, when the conver- 
sation turned upon gold, mentioned that, 
though there was no gold in San Salvador, 
the islands farther south were full of it, 
Columbus only waited to lay in wood and 



92 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 56 

water, improving the time by a boat expe- 
dition along the coast, and then set sail 
in search of fresh discoveries. 

During the next few days a number of 
small islands were discovered, all of which 
were flowing with copper-colored natives 
and wild fruit, but they did not appear 
to produce gold. The natives were in all 
cases amiable and full of respect for the 
supposed heavenly visitors, but they stoutly 
denied that they had any gold. Indeed, 
had they been questioned about chills and 
fever, instead of gold, they could not have 
been more unanimous in asserting that 
their particular island was entirely free 
from it, but that it abounded in the next 
island farther south. 

All these islands belonged to the Bahama 
group, but Columbus assumed that they 
were in the neighborhood of Japan, and 
that the mainland of Asia must be within 
a few days' sail. As soon therefore as the 
sameness of constantly discovering new 
islands began to pall upon him, he set sail 
for Cuba, where, as the natives told him, 



1492] THE DISCOVERY. 93 

there was a king whose commonest arti- 
cles of furniture were made of gold. He 
thought it would be well to visit this de- 
serving monarch, and buy a few second- 
hand tables and bedsteads from him, and 
then to sail straight to Asia; and so ac- 
complish the real purpose of his voyage. 

It is a pity that we are not told whether 
the natives talked Spanish, or whether Co- 
lumbus spoke the copper-colored language. 
When so many discussions on the subject 
of gold were had, it is evident that some- 
body must have made rapid progress in 
learning one language or the other, and 
from what we know of the Admiral's con- 
versational powers, it is quite probable that 
he mastered the San Salvadorian grammar 
and spelling-book, and was able to read, 
write, and speak the language within the 
first twenty-four hours after landing. 

On the 28th of October Columbus 
reached Cuba, having picked up a host of 
small islands on the way. He was delight- 
ed with its appearance, and decided that, 
instead of being an island, it must be the 



94 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^Et. 56 

mainland. For days he coasted along the 
shore, frequently landing and examining 
the deserted huts from which the inhabi- 
tants had fled on his approach. Judging 
from the entries made by Columbus in his 
journal, there was never such another 
island since the world began ; but he is 
compelled to admit that the natives were 
not sociable. In fact, he never exchanged 
words with them until the interpreter whom 
he had brought from San Salvador threw 
himself overboard and swam ashore. The 
natives, regarding him as less ferocious and 
dangerous than a boat, permitted him to 
land, and- listened to his account of the 
Spaniards. They were even induced to 
launch their canoes and visit the ships, 
where they were received by Columbus, 
who assured them that he had no connec- 
tion with the Emperor of China — a state- 
ment which must have struck them as 
somewhat irrelevant and uncalled for. 

The place where this interview was held 
is now known as Savanna la Mar. The 
harbor being a safe one, Columbus de- 



1492] THE DISCOVERY. 95 

cided to remain and repair his ships, and 
to send an embassy by land to Pekin, 
which he was confident could not be more 
than two days' journey into the interior. 
Two Spaniards and the San Salvadorian 
native were selected as ambassadors, and 
supplied with a letter and presents for the 
Chinese Emperor, and Columbus with 
much liberality gave them six days in 
which to go to Pekin and return. 

After they had departed, the ships were 
careened and caulked, and other little jobs 
were invented to keep the men out of mis- 
chief As to gold, the natives told the 
old story. There was none of it in their 
neighborhood, but there was an island 
farther south where it was as common 
and cheap as dirt. Seeing how the de- 
scription pleased the Admiral, they kindly 
threw in a tribe of natives with one eye 
in their forehead, and a quantity of select 
cannibals, and thus increased his desire to 
visit so remarkable an island. 

In six days the ambassadors returned. 
They had found neither Pekin nor the 



96 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

Chinese Emperor — nothing, in fact, ex- 
cept a small village, a naked chief, and a 
community of placid savages who had no 
gold and were entirely devoid of interest. 
They brought back with them a few cold 
potatoes, a vegetable hitherto unknown to 
Europeans, and they casually mentioned 
that they had seen natives in the act of 
smoking rolls of dark-colored leaves, but 
they attached no importance to the dis- 
covery, and regarded it as a curious evi- 
dence of pagan degradation. Little did 
they know that the dark-colored leaves 
were tobacco, and that the natives were 
smoking Partagas, Villar - y - Villar, In- 
timidads, and other priceless brands of 
the Vuelt Abajo. The sailors were curs- 
ing the worthlessness of a new continent 
which produced neither rum, wine, nor 
beer, and yet it was the native land of 
tobacco ! Thus does poor fallen human 
nature fix its gaze on unattainable rum 
and Chinese Emperors, and so overlook 
the cigars that are within its reach. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

ADVENTURES ON LAND. 

ON the 1 2th of November Columbus 
set sail in seareh of the gold- and 
cannibal-bearing island described by the na- 
tives and called Babeque. He took with 
him a few pairs of Cubans for the Madrid 
Zoolomcal Garden, whom he intended to 
convert to Christianity in his leisure hours. 
Babeque was said to be situated about 
east-by-south from Cuba, and accordingly 
the fleet steered in that direction, skirting 
the Cuban coast. Two days later a head- 
wind and a heavy sea induced Columbus 
to put back to Cuba, where he waited for 
a fair wind. On the 19th he again put to 
sea, but was soon compelled for the second 
time to return. 

When Martin Alonzo Pinzon, on board 
the Pinta, which was in the advance, saw 
the Admiral's signal of recall, he promptly 



98 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

and with great energy paid no attention 
to it. He astutely observed that as there 
might not be gold and cannibals enough 
in Babeque for the whole fleet, it would 
save trouble if he were to take in private- 
ly a full cargo, and thus avoid the hard 
feelings which might result from an at- 
tempt to divide with the crews of the 
other vessels. Pinzon therefore kept the 
Pinta on her course, and the next morn- 
ing she was out of sight of the flag-ship. 
Columbus, not understanding the excel- 
lent intentions of his subordinate, was 
greatly vexed, and feared that Pinzon 
would sail back to Spain and claim the 
whole credit of discovering the New 
World. However, pursuit was out of the 
question, the Pinta being the fastest vessel 
of the fleet ; and the Admiral therefore 
sailed back to Cuba, and while awaiting a 
change of wind renewed his exploration 
of the coast. 

On the 5th of December, the weather 
having improved, Columbus started for 
the third time in search of Babeque. He 



1492] ADVENTURES ON LAND. 99 

soon sighted a large and beautiful island, 
at which his Cubans besought him not to 
land, since it was inhabited by one-eyed 
cannibals who made it a point to eat all 
visitors, either from motives of hunger or 
as a mark of respect. The Cubans admit- 
ted that the island contained gold as well 
as cannibals, but maintained that it was 
not Babeque, but Bohio. 

Of course Columbus disregarded their 
advice, and, after anchoring for a night in 
a convenient harbor, proceeded to sail 
along the coast, landing from time to 
time. He found that it was a very re- 
spectable island, but the natives refused 
to have anything to do with him, and fled 
into the forest as soon as his boats touched 
the shore. One day, however, his men 
succeeded in capturing a young woman — 
with the usual amount of eyes, and fash- 
ionably dressed in a gold nose-ring — 
whom they carried before the Admiral. 
The latter, putting on a pair of thick 
blue goggles in the interests of propriety, 
spoke kindly to the young person, and 



lOO CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

gave her some clothes. It may be doubt- 
ed whether the Admiral's old coats and 
trousers were particularly becomijig to the 
fair prisoner ; but as they were novelties in 
dress, she was greatly pleased with them, 
and agreed to accompany a party of mjd- 
dle-aged and discreet sailors to her father's 
village. Thus friendly relations were at 
last established with the natives, and Co- 
lumbus, seeing the effect of clothing on 
the female mind, was so closely reminded 
of the women of Spain that he named the 
new island Hispaniola. 

The absence of both gold and one-ej^ed 
cannibals convinced him that Hispaniola 
could not be Babeque, and on December 
14th he once more set sail in search of 
that mythical island. He found nothing 
but the little island of Tortugas, and was 
finally compelled by head-winds to sail 
back to Hispaniola. He now made up 
his mind that Babeque was the Mrs. 
Harris of islands, and that in fact there 
was no such place. It pained him to give 
up all hope of seeing the one-eyed canni- 



1492] ADVENTURES ON LAND. lOI 

bals ; but after all he must have perceived 
that, even if he had found them, they 
could not have been any real comfort to 
him, unless he could have seen them sit- 
ting down to dine off the faithless Pinzon. 
On the 1 6th of December we find him 
anchored near Puerto de Paz, enjoying the 
society of a cacique, or native chief, who 
told him the old, old story of gold-bearing 
islands farther south, and in other ways 
did his best to meet the Admiral's views. 
Six days later, when near the Bay of Acul, 
the flag-ship was met by a canoe contain- 
ing an envoy of the cacique Guacanagari, 
the most powerful of the native chiefs of 
that region. Guacanagari sent Columbus 
presents of cotton cloth, dolls, parrots of 
great resources in point of profanity, and 
other welcome articles. He invited Co- 
lumbus to visit him at his palace, which 
invitation was accepted, and the cacique 
and the Admiral became warm friends. 
A few bits of gold were given to the 
Spaniards, and the usual story concerning 
Babeque was told ; but Columbus had 



102 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 56 

now pledged himself to total abstinence 
from Babeque in every form, and paid no 
attention to it. 

Guacanagari's village was situated a few 
miles east of the Bay of Acul, and thither 
Columbus resolved to bring his ships. 
About midnight on Christmas eve Co- 
lumbus went below, because, as he al- 
leged, there was a dead calm and his 
presence on deck was not required. The 
judicial mind will, however, note the fact 
that it is not unusual for mariners to feel 
the need of sleep after the festivities of 
Christmas eve. Following the example 
of their commander, the entire crew has- 
tened to fall asleep, with the exception of 
a small-boy to whom the wheel was con- 
fided by a drowsy quartermaster. A cur- 
rent steadily drifted the vessel toward the 
land, and in a short time the boy at the 
wheel loudly mentioned that the ship had 
struck. The Admiral was soon on deck 
— which shows that perhaps, after all, it 
was nothing stronger than claret punch — 
and in time succeeded in awakening the 



1492] ADVENTURES ON LAND. IO3 

crew. The ship was hard and fast on a 
reef, and he ordered the mast to be cut 
away, and dispatched a boat to the Nina 
&)r assistance. It soon became evident 
that the Santo. Maina would go to pieces, 
and accordingly Columbus and all his men 
sought refuge on board the other vessel. 

Guacanagari was full of grief at the dis- 
aster, and sent his people to assist in sav- 
ing whatever of value the wreck contained. 
He came on board the Niiia and invited 
the Spaniards to come to his village and 
occupy houses which he had set apart for 
them. Here he entertained them with 
games — base-ball, pedestrian matches, and 
such Hke pagan spectacles — while the 
Spaniards, not to be outdone in polite- 
ness, fired off a cannon, and thereby nearly 
frightened the natives to death. Mean- 
while Columbus kept up a brisk trade, 
exchanging rusty nails for gold, of which 
latter metal the natives now produced 
considerable quantities. The cacique, 
finding that gold was the one thing 
which, above all others, distracted the 



104 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 5^> 

Admiral's mind from his unfortunate ship- 
wreck, sent into the interior and collected 
so much that the Spaniards imagined that 
at last they had really reached the golden 
island of Babeque. 

The sailors were delighted with the place. 
To be sure, there was no rum ; but with 
that exception they had everything that 
the seafaring heart could desire. They 
spent their time lying in the shade, waited 
on by obsequious natives and fed with 
turtle-soup and roast chicken. The longer 
they tried this sort of life, the more they 
perceived the folly of going back to the 
forecastle and its diet of salt horse. They 
therefore proposed to Columbus that, in- 
stead of building a new ship, he should 
leave half of his men on the island as 
colonists. The Admiral was pleased with 
the plan. It would be cheaper to leave 
two or three dozen men behind him than 
to carry them back to Spain, and if he 
had a real colony in his newly discovered 
western world, it would add to his im- 
portance as Viceroy. So he announced 



14921 ADVENTURES ON LAND, 10$ 

that he had decided to colonize the island, 
and ordered his men to build a fort with 
the timbers of the wrecked flag-ship. The 
natives lent their aid, and in a short time 
a substantial fort, with a ditch, drawbridge, 
flag-staff, and everything necessary to the 
comfort of the garrison, was erected. It 
was mounted with two or three spare 
cannons, and Guacanagari was told that it 
was designed to defend his people from 
the attacks of the Caribs, a tribe which 
frequently made war on the peaceful 
islanders. The fort was then dignified 
with the title of '' La Navidad," — which is 
the Spanish way of spelling ''nativity," 
although it does not do the Spaniards 
much credit, — and the flag of Castile and 
Aragon was hoisted on the flag-staflf. 

Thirty-nine men, under the command of 
Diego de Arana, the notary, were selected 
to garrison La Navidad. Among them 
were a tailor, a carpenter, a baker, and a 
shoemaker, while De Arana in his capacity 
of notary was of course able to draw up 
wills, protest bills of exchange, and take 



I06 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 56 

affidavits. Columbus did not venture to 
leave a plumber behind him, justly fearing 
that if he did the plumber would send in 
bills to the natives which would goad 
them into an indiscriminate massacre of 
the whole colony. All other necessary 
trades were, however, represented among 
the colonists, from which circumstance 
we gather that the Spanish marine was 
manned chiefly by mechanics. 

Having organized his colony, Colum- 
bus determined to hasten back to Spain, 
lest Pinzon should reach home before him 
and publish an unauthorized work with 
some such striking title as ''How I found 
the New World," and thereby injure the 
reputation of the Admiral and the sale of 
the only authentic account of the expe- 
dition. There were rumors that Pinzon's 
vessel had been seen lying at anchor on the 
eastern side of the island, but all efforts to 
find him failed. It was only too probable 
that he was on his way back to Spain, and 
it was important that he should not arrive 
home before his rightful commander. 



.1492] ADVENTURES ON LAND. I07 

Before sailing, Columbus made a fare- 
well address to the colonists, closely 
modelled upon the Farewell Address of 
Washington. He warned them to beware 
of entangling alliances with the native 
women, and to avoid losing the affection 
and respect of Guacanagari and his people. 
The sailors promised to behave with the 
utmost propriety, and winked wickedly at 
one another behind the Admiral's back. 
The Spaniards then gave a grand farewell 
entertainment to the estimable cacique, 
who once more wept on the bosom of the 
Admiral, and finally, on the 4th of Janu- 
ary, 1493, Columbus sailed for Spain. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE. 

THE wind, as usual, was dead ahead, 
and the Niiia made slow progress. 
For two days she lay at anchor in a quiet 
bay, but the Admiral was so anxious to 
reach Spain in advance of Pinzon that he 
would not wait any longer for a change 
of wind. Before he had succeeded in get- 
ting out of sight of land, the missing Pinta 
was sighted, and, Columbus's anxiety being 
partially relieved, the two ships put back 
and anchored at the mouth of a river. The 
interview between Pinzon and the Admiral 
must have been interesting. It is evident 
from many things that, since his great 
voyage had been successful, Columbus had 
ceased to be the conversational bane of 
humanity, and had become a reasonably 
taciturn man. On this occasion Pinzon 
found him painfully silent. That troubled 



1493] THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE. IO9 

mariner attempted to account for his de- 
sertion by saying it was all an accident, 
and that he had lain awake night after 
night bewailing the cruel fate which had 
separated him from his beloved com- 
mander. He was ready to swear all sorts 
of maritime oaths that he had never meant 
to part company and cruise alone. 

The Admiral gloomily remarked that, 
while no man should be held accountable 
for an accident, he felt that it was his duty 
to mention that hereafter any officer found 
guilty of the commission of a similar acci- 
dent would be court-martialled and hanged, 
after which Pinzon was permitted to return 
to his ship. 

In view of the fact that Pinzon com- 
manded the larger ship and could probably 
have beaten the Nina m a fair fight, the 
Admiral v/as wise in accepting his excuses 
and affecting to believe his story. He 
afterward learned that Pinzon had really 
been at anchor on the eastern side of the 
island, vv^here it was reported that he had 
been seen, and that he had secured a large 



no CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 57 

quantity of gold ; but it was judged inju- 
dicious to ask him to surrender the gold 
to the Admiral. Thus harmony between 
Columbus and Pinzon was thoroughly re- 
stored, and they hated and distrusted each 
other with great vigor. 

The meeting of the Pznta and the Nzfta 
was, we may presume, celebrated in due 
form, for Columbus, although he was a 
very abstemious man, asserts in his journal 
that at this time he saw several mermaids. 
We do not know what Pinzon saw ; but if 
the abstemious Admiral saw mermaids, the 
less decorous Pinzon probably saw a sea- 
serpent and a procession of green mon- 
keys with spiked Prussian helmets on their 
heads. 

On the 9th of January the ships again 
weighed anchor and sailed along the coast, 
stopping from time to time to trade with 
the natives. At Samana Bay the Span- 
iards found a tribe of fierce savages, with 
whom they had a skirmish which resulted 
in wounding two of the enemy. Never- 
theless, the local cacique made peace the 



1493] THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE. Ill 

next day, and told Columbus a very meri- 
torious and picturesque lie concerning an 
island inhabited by a tribe of Amazons. 
Recent events indicate that in fighting and 
lying the present inhabitants of Samana Bay 
are no unworthy representatives of those 
whom Columbus met. 

When, on the i6th of January, Colum- 
bus made positively his last departure for 
Spain, he intended to stop on the way and 
discover Porto Rico, which lay a little 
southward of his true course. To this, 
however, the sailors strongly objected. 
They had discovered as many islands as, 
in their opinion, any reasonable man could 
desire, and they pined for Palos and its 
rum-shops. They did not break out into 
mutiny, but they expressed their feelings 
so plainly, by singing '' Home Again" and 
other depressing songs, that Columbus felt 
the wisdom of gratifying them — especially 
in view of the probability that Pinzon 
would again give him the slip at the first 
opportunity. The sailors were therefore 
ordered to square away the yards, and the 



112 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 57 

ships were put before the fair west wind 
with their several bowsprits pointing 
straight toward Palos. Joy filled the 
bosoms and heightened the ruddy tint of 
the noses of the crew. That night they 
thought more highly of Columbus than 
ever before, and remarked among them- 
selves that they were glad to see that the 
old man could restrain his unnatural thirst 
for islands when it became clearly necessary 
for him to do so. 

It was not long before the fleet — if two 
vessels can be regarded as a fleet, except 
in the United States Navy — came into the 
region where the trade-winds constantly 
blow from the east. Columbus may not 
have recognized them as trade-winds, but he 
perfectly understood that they were head- 
winds, and with a view of avoiding them 
steered in a northerly direction. He suc- 
ceeded in getting out of the region of 
perpetual east winds, but he reached the 
latitude where storms-centres moving rapid- 
ly to the east and south, together with areas 
of depression in the region of the lakes and 



1493] THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE. II3 

rain in the New England and Middle 
States — in short, all the worst varieties 
of weather in the repertoire of the Signal 
Service Bureau — prevail. The pilots soon 
lost all idea of the course which the ves- 
sels had sailed, and as each one entertained 
a different opinion about the matter, while 
Columbus differed from them all and made 
it a practice to confuse their minds with 
opinions on navigation of the most intri- 
cate character, there was a certain lack of 
cordial and intelligent agreement among 
the navigators of the fleet. 

About the middle of February a succes- 
sion of tremendous tempests overtook the 
vessels. For days they drove before a gale 
which carried them in a north-easterly 
direction and threatened every moment to 
sink them and hide all vestiges of the great 
transatlantic expedition beneath the waves. 
Pinzon, owing to the injured condition of 
his mast, had no control over his ship, and 
was soon carried out of sight of Columbus. 
The latter felt that the time had come to 
employ all his knowledge of seamanship. 



114 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 57 

An ordinary prosaic ship-captain of the 
present day, finding himself in a like situ- 
ation, would have brought his ship down 
to a close-reefed maintopsail, and, bring- 
ing the wind on his starboard quarter, 
would have steered about east by south, 
and so carried the ship out of the cyclone 
in two or three hours. Columbus, how- 
ever, was far too scientific a navigator to 
adopt any such commonplace expedient. 
He mustered his crew, and ordered them to 
draw lots to see who should vow to make 
pilgrimages in case they should succeed 
in reaching land. He himself drew a lot 
which required him to make one pilgrim- 
age to Santa Clara de Moguer, and another 
to Santa Maria de Guadalupe, and, in 
addition, to pay for a series of masses and 
to present candles to the Blessed Virgin. 

As this manoeuvre, which was at that 
time regarded as one of the most abstruse 
known to mariners, unaccountably failed 
to better the condition of the ship, the 
entire crew vowed to march to the first 
available church bare-footed and clad only 



1493] THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE. II5 

in their shirts. The frightful nature of the 
storm may be imagined from the fact that, 
in spite of this splendid display of Spanish 
seamanship, the Nina continued to exhibit 
a determined propensity to go to pieces or 
to founder. Having thus done everything 
that a sailor could do, and all without 
avail, Columbus yielded to the promptings 
of superstition, and filling a quantity of 
empty casks with sea-water placed them 
in the hold, where he hoped they would 
render the ship somewhat stiffer. The 
Nina at once became steadier and ceased 
to try to lie over on her side, and it is quite 
possible that Columbus believed that his 
superstitious use of casks had more to do 
with the salvation of the ship than all the 
combined vows of the Admiral and his 
men. 

While in imminent danger of drowning, 
Columbus had the cool forethought to 
write a full account of his discoveries. He 
enclosed the manuscript in a water-tight 
barrel, which he threw overboard after 
having attached to it a written request that 



Il6 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 57 

the finder would return it to Christopher 
Columbus, or his representatives at Cadiz, 
Spain, where he would be suitably re- 
warded. It has not yet been found, but it 
is the intention of Dr. Schliemann, the 
discoverer of the personal jewelry of 
Helen of Troy, to discover it whenever he 
can spare a few days from more important 
discoveries. 

On the 15th of February land was 
sighted. It was the island of St. Mary's, 
one of the Azores, but no one except 
Columbus had any idea that the Nina was 
farther north than the latitude of Lisbon. 
No sooner had the land been sighted than 
the wind changed to the north-east, and 
it was two days before the Niiia could 
reach the island and anchor under its lee. 

As for the Pinta, it was believed that in 
her crippled condition she must have per- 
ished in the storm, and as a matter of course 
Columbus felt extremely sorry that Pinzon 
could no longer display his insubordinate 
and unprincipled want of respect for his 
superior officer. 



1493] THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE. 1 17 

Of course everybody was anxious to go 
ashore at once. The sailors anticipated 
that rum could be found on the island, it 
being inhabited by civilized and Christian 
people, and Columbus, who, we may sup- 
pose, was not very well satisfied that he 
had been selected by lot to make two 
pilgrimages and spend a quantity of 
money in masses and candles, was anxious 
to see the crew parade for attendance on 
divine worship in their shirts. But the 
Azores belonged to Portugal, and though 
the Portuguese king had refused to assist 
Columbus in his plans of exploration, he 
was very indignant that any other mon- 
arch should have helped the Italian ad- 
venturer, and felt that Columbus had 
treated him disrespectfully by accepting 
Spanish help. Knowing all this, Colum- 
bus remained on shipboard and sent a 
boat ashore to inquire if there was a 
church near at hand. 

The inhabitants of the island were greatly 
astonished to learn that the weather-beaten 
ship lying at anchor was the remnant of 



Il8 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 57 

the exploring expedition which had sailed 
six months earlier from Palos. The Gov- 
ernor of the island, Juan de Casteneda, had 
been ordered by the Portuguese king to 
arrest Columbus, in case he should visit 
the Azores, for the offence of discovering 
continents without a license from the Por- 
tuguese. De Casteneda therefore was 
anxious to induce Columbus to land, but 
by too great zeal he overreached him- 
self. 

As soon as it was ascertained that there 
was a shrine on the island, Columbus 
ordered his men to -fulfil their vow by 
marching in procession to it in their un- 
trammelled shirts. One half the crew were 
detailed for this pious duty, and the Ad- 
miral intended to march with the other half 
as soon as the first division should return. 
The hasty Governor waited till the proces- 
sion had entered the shrine, and then 
arrested every one of its members, on the 
frivolous plea of dressing in a way adapted 
to outrage the feelings of the public and 
to excite a breach of the peace. When 



14931 THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE. IIQ 

Columbus found his men did not return, 
he weighed anchor and stood in toward the 
shore. He was met by a boat containing 
the Governor, who decHned to come on 
board the Nzfta, and conducted himself 
generally in such a suspicious way that Co- 
lumbus lost his temper and called him un- 
pleasant names. He held up his commis- 
sion with its enormous seal, and told the 
Governor to look at it and comprehend that 
sealing-wax was not lavished in that way 
except upon officers of distinguished merit. 
The Governor not only insulted Columbus, 
but he spoke derisively of the sealing-wax, 
and then rowed back to land, resolved to 
keep his shirt-clad prisoners until he could 
add Columbus himself to the collection. 

The usual gale soon after sprang up, and 
the Nina was driven out to sea and kept 
there in very unpleasant circumstances for 
several days. When at length Columbus 
again returned to his anchorage, De Cas- 
teneda sent two priests and a notary to 
inspect his papers. They found that his 
commission was properly made out, that 



120 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 57 

the ship had a clean bill of health, and that 
her clearance from Guacanagari's custom- 
house was without a flaw. They then in- 
formed him that the Governor had been 
compelled to exercise a little caution lest 
vessels arriving from the West Indies 
should introduce yellow fever into the 
Azores, but that he was now entirely 
satisfied and would be glad to have Co- 
lumbus call on him. The next morning 
he liberated the men whom he had made 
prisoners, and let them return to their 
ship and their trousers, it being evident 
that he could not hope to arrest Colum- 
bus, now that the latter was on his guard. 
Having regained possession of his men, 
Columbus set sail for home on the 24th 
of the month. In about a week another 
storm, more violent than any which had 
preceded it, struck the unhappy voyagers. 
Once more the splendid seamanship of the 
commander was displayed by an order for all 
hands to draw lots for pilgrimages. This 
time the loser was to walk barefooted to 
the shrine of Santa Maria de la Cueva, and 



1493] THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE. 121 

when Columbus found that he had once 
more drawn the losing lot, he must have 
made a private vow to play henceforth 
some other game in which he might have 
some little chance to win something. It 
is impossible to repress the suspicion that 
the vow afterward made by the crew to 
eat nothing but bread and drink nothing 
but water for a week, was made in accor- 
dance with the determination of the Ad- 
miral that he should not be the only person 
to perform painful and difficult feats of 
practical seamanship. 

During the worst of the storm, and in 
the middle of the night, land was seen, 
and the ship had a narrow escape from 
being dashed upon it. When daylight 
appeared, it was found that the mouth of 
the Tagus was close at hand ; and although 
it was obviously dangerous for Columbus 
to venture into Portuguese waters, he 
sailed into the river and anchored in a 
sheltered place near the rock of Cintra. 
He lost no time in sending letters, by 
the District Telegraph messengers of the 



122 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 57 

period, to the Spanish and Portuguese 
monarchs, and asked of the latter permis- 
sion to sail up the river to Lisbon. This 
request was obviously a hollov/ form. 
Lisbon was the last place to which the Ad- 
miral would have been willing to take his 
ship, but he wanted to convince the Portu- 
guese king that he had the utmost confi- 
dence in him. 



CHAPTER X. 

HIS RECEPTION, AND PREPARATION FOR A 
SECOND EXPEDITION. 

EVERYBODY who could hire a horse 
or a boat came from the surrounding 
country to see the ship that had crossed the 
Atlantic. The Portuguese nobly forgot the 
years in which Columbus had lived in Por- 
tugal and talked their fellow-countrymen 
into untimely graves, and they gave him 
as enthusiastic reception as an American 
town gives to a successful pedestrian. 
Presently there came a letter from King 
John of Portugal, inviting Columbus to 
come to his palace at Valparaiso, near Lis- 
bon. The crew of the Ninay having reached 
a Christian country where, by the orders of 
the King, they were supplied with wine 
without limit and without price, were per- 
fectly contented to defer returning to their 
families at Palos, and were, on the whole, 



124 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 57 

rather anxious that their commander should 
leave them for a few days. Columbus, 
much against his will, felt compelled to ac- 
cept the King's invitation, and was kindly 
received at Valparaiso. 

Of course Columbus, when he described 
the results of his voyage, could not deny 
himself the pleasure of reminding King 
John that he might have had the glory of 
sending out the expedition. He told the 
King that he was really sorry for him, and 
hoped it would be a lesson to him never 
to refuse an offer made by a meritorious 
Genoese to find new continents for him. 
King John expressed his pleasure at the 
success of Columbus, but incidentally re- 
marked that he presumed his seafaring 
friend was aware that, by the provisions of 
an ancient treaty and a papal bull, all the 
countries that Columbus had discovered 
undoubtedly belonged to Portugal. 

This conversation was not altogether 
satisfactory to Columbus, but he would 
have been still more dissatisfied had he 
known the advice which the King's coun- 



1493] HIS RECEPTION. 1 25 

cillors gave him. They said there was 
not the least doubt that the native In- 
dians on board the Nina had been stolen 
from the Portuguese East Indies, and that 
Columbus ought to be immediately killed. 
The King did not favor the death of Co- 
lumbus, but suggested that the truly hon- 
orable course to pursue would be to dis- 
miss Columbus in the respectful manner 
due to his gallant conduct, and to send im- 
mediately a secret expedition to take pos- 
session of the countries which he had dis- 
covered. In accordance with this decision, 
Columbus was treated with great polite- 
ness, and returned to his ship, quite igno- 
rant of his narrow escape from death, and 
in excellent spirits with the exception of 
a slight uneasiness as to the amount of 
truth that might exist in the King's remark 
about ancient treaties and papal balls. 
Sailing from the Tagus, he reached Palos 
in two days, and landed on the 15th of 
March. 

The return of Columbus created im- 
mense surprise, and with the exception of 



126 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 57 

the wives of his sailors, who, having as- 
sumed that their husbands never would re- 
turn, had married again, everybody received 
him with enthusiasm. The shops were 
closed, all the boys in the schools were 
given a half-holiday, and the entire popu- 
lation flocked to the church whither Co- 
lumbus and his men betook themselves as 
soon as they landed, to return thanks for 
their preservation. Columbus was no 
longer, in public estimation, the tedious 
foreigner who ought to be sent out of 
the country at any cost ; he was one of 
the most remarkable men in Spain, who 
deserved all sorts of honors. There were 
any number of men who now recollected 
that they had always said he was a great 
man and would certainly discover a first- 
class continent, and there were very few 
persons in all Palos who were not con- 
fident that the encouragement which they 
had given to Columbus had been one of 
the chief causes of his success. 

The King and Queen were at Barcelona, 
but the Admiral, having had all the sea- 



1493] HIS RECEPTION. 12/ 

voyaging that his system seemed to re- 
quire, decided to go to Barcelona by land 
instead of by water, and after writing to 
the monarchs, announcing his arrival, he 
set out for Seville, to wait for orders. 

The same day on which Columbus land- 
ed, and about twelve hours later, the Pinta 
arrived. Pinzon had been driven by the 
storm which separated him from the Nina 
into Bayonne. Making up his mind that 
Columbus was safely drowned, he wrote to 
Ferdinand and Isabella, announcing that he 
had made remarkably valuable discoveries ; 
that he would hasten to Spain to report to 
them in person ; and that he was sorry to 
say that Columbus had found a watery 
grave. When he entered the harbor of 
Palos, and saw the Nina at anchor, he felt 
that life was a hollow mockery. He went 
quietly to his own house, and wrote to the 
monarchs a letter which, we may assume, 
differed somewhat in its tone from the one 
he had written from Bayonne. The reply 
was extremely cold, and forbade Pinzon to 
present himself at court. 



128 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 57 

The people of Palos, having already cele- 
brated, to the utmost of their power, the 
arrival of Columbus, were rather annoyed 
at Pinzon's appearance, and thought that 
on the whole it was an unwarrantable lib^ 
erty. That Pinzon was a really intelligent 
man is proved by the fact that he hastened 
to die a few days after he had received the 
monarch's unpleasant letter. There was 
obviously nothing else left for him to do, 
and he deserves credit for thus clearly per- 
ceiving his duty. 

Columbus, soon after his arrival at Se- 
ville, received a flattering letter from Fer- 
dinand and Isabella, who thanked him for 
his services, invited him to come to court, 
and mentioned that the sooner he could fit 
out a new expedition the better it would 
be. Accompanied by six Indians and a 
quantity of parrots, together with a collec- 
tion of stuffed animals and specimens of 
novel trees and late West Indian designs 
in minerals, the Admiral proceeded to Bar- 
celona, exciting immense enthusiasm at 
every town on the road, and being mistaken 



1493] HIS RECEPTION, 1 29 

by the youth of Spain for some new kind 
of circus. On his arrival at court, the mon- 
archs received him in great state, and asked 
him to take a chair and make himself at 
home ; this being the first time within the 
memory of man that they had ever asked 
any one to be seated. 

As has been said, Columbus had greatly 
improved in point of reticence after his 
discovery of the New World, but on this 
occasion he appears to have relapsed into 
his old habits. At any rate, the lecture 
which he proceeded to deliver was of such 
appalling length that when it was finished 
the King and Queen both fell on their re- 
spective knees in thankful prayer, and after- 
ward ordered the Te Deum to be sung. 

There was a slight portion of truth in the 
remarks made by King John of Portugal 
to Columbus concerning a papal bull as- 
signing certain countries to the Portuguese 
Crown. It was conceded by all Christian 
nations of that period that the Pope owned 
in fee simple all the heathen countries 
wheresoever situated. One of the Popes 



130 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 57 

had assigned to the Portuguese all those 
certain heathen lands situate, lying, and 
being in the continent of Africa, together 
with all and singular the heathen and other 
objects thereunto belonging or in any wise 
appertaining. This was the bull to which 
King John referred. It is true that it did 
not give him any right to lands and heath- 
en in America, but the Spanish monarchs 
thought it would be wise to obtain a bull 
formally assigning America to them. They 
therefore wrote to Pope Alexander VI., 
informing him that they had discovered a 
new continent full of desirable heathen ad- 
mirably fitted for conversion, and request- 
ing a formal grant thereof. At the same 
time, Columbus, in order to prove the 
pious character of his expedition, ordered 
his six best Indians to be baptized. 

The Pope issued the desired bull, and, 
in order to avoid any objection on the 
part of the Portuguese, divided the At- 
lantic by a meridian one hundred miles 
west of the Azores, giving to the Portu- 
guese all the heathen lands which they 



1493] ^^S RECEPTION. I3I 

might discover east of this meridian, and 
to the Spaniards all that they might dis- 
cover west of it. This was very hand- 
some on the part of the Pope, and showed 
that he was liberal and open-handed. 

The news of the return of Columbus 
filled every European monarch with the 
conviction that the discovery of new con- 
tinents was the only proper occupation 
for a monarch of spirit, and with the de- 
termination to make discoveries first and 
to call on the lawyers to find flaws in the 
Pope's bull afterward. It was therefore 
important that there should be no delay in 
sending out a second Spanish expedition. 
Orders were issued by the monarchs of 
Castile and Aragon, authorizing Columbus 
to buy, hire, or seize any vessels that he 
might find in the ports of Andalusia that 
were suited for exploring purposes, and to 
impress any officers or sailors that might 
suit his fancy. For ships, provisions, 
stores, and men thus seized fair prices 
were to be paid, and money was raised 
for this purpose from all available sources. 



132 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. \_JEt 57 

though no man seems to have thought of 
the expedient of printing paper-money, 
and thus creating out of nothing currency 
enough to defray the cost of a voyage to 
America, and to move the West India 
gold and slave crops. 

To assist Columbus and to conduct the 
business of exploration and colonization. 
Archdeacon Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca 
was made a sort of Secretary of Explora- 
tion and Superintendent of Indian Af- 
fairs, and was given very extensive powers. 
It may seem to us strange that a priest 
should have received this appointment, 
but priests were as numerous in Spain 
as Colonels now are in South Caro- 
lina, and probably all the men who were 
not priests were either in jail or had 
volunteered to join Columbus as sailors 
and gold-hunters. It was this able Arch- 
deacon who chiefly organized the second 
expedition of Columbus, and he engaged 
twelve active priests well acquainted with 
the screw, the pulley, the wheel, and the 
other theologico-mechanical powers, and 



1493] ^^S RECEPTION. 1 33 

commanded by the Apostolic Vicar Rev. 
Bernardo Boyle, to convert the heathen 
as fast as they should be discovered. 

It would violate all precedent if the 
story of Columbus and the tgg were to 
be spared the readers of this volume. It 
is briefly as follows : Soon after his return 
to Spain he dined with Cardinal de Men- 
doza, an eminent clergyman with a talent 
for dinner. An objectionable young man 
who was present, and who undoubtedly 
had taken more champagne than was 
good for his fellow-diners, asked the Ad- 
miral if he did not think that if he had not 
discovered the New World some one else 
would very shortly have discovered it. He 
was unquestionably an impertinent young 
man, but he was undoubtedly right in as- 
suming that sooner or later the Atlantic 
would have been crossed, even if Colum- 
bus had never been born. Historians tell 
us that Columbus, in reply, asked the 
young man if he could stand an tgg on 
its little end ; and when the young man, 
after rudely inquiring what Columbus was 



134 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 57 

giving him, was constrained to admit that 
he could not perform the feat in question, 
the great explorer simply flattened the 
little end of the ^gg by knocking it against 
the table, and then easily made it stand 
upright. The whole company instantly 
burst into tears, and exclaimed that Co- 
lumbus was the greatest and noblest of 
mankind. 

If this trick of flattening an ^gg was 
really regarded as a brilliant repartee, by 
which the impertinent young man ought 
to have been utterly withered up, it gives 
us a melancholy view of the state of 
the art of repartee among the Spaniards. 
The real facts of the case are probably 
these : Cardinal De Mendoza, the dinner, 
and the impertinent young man doubtless 
existed in the form and manner specified ; 
and the impertinent young man, in an 
advanced state of champagne, probably 
said something insulting to the Admiral. 
The latter, disdaining to notice the affront 
by words, and reluctant to cause any un- 
pleasant scene at the Cardinal's dinner- 



1493] His RECEPTION. 135 

table, merely threw an tg^ at the offender's 
head, and pursued his conversation with 
his host. Subsequent writers, determined 
to give a profoundly scientific character to 
everything the Admiral did, built up from 
this slight basis of fact the egg-balancing 
story. In point of fact, any one can 
balance an ^g^ on its little end by the 
exercise of little care and patience, and it 
is rather more easy to do this with an ^^^ 
that has not been flattened than with one 
that has. 

There is another contemporaneous story 
which is far more credible, and requires no 
explanation. While Columbus was enjoy- 
ing the honors which were everywhere 
lavished upon him, and was on visiting 
terms with the King and Queen, and 
dining with Cardinals and Aldermen and 
Chambers of Commerce, the unhappy 
sailor who first saw land, but whose 
promised reward was appropriated by 
Columbus, went to Africa and turned 
Mahometan, in disgust at his treatment. 
Probably Columbus thought that, in the 



13^ CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^Et. 57 

circumstances, this was a delicate and con- 
siderate act, for the sight of the man could 
hardly have given much satisfaction to 
the Admiral who had pocketed the re- 
ward. 

Meanwhile King John of Portugal was 
busy fitting out an expedition ostensibly 
to explore the coast of Africa, but really 
to discover transatlantic countries. He 
tried to induce the Pope to give him the 
islands discovered by Columbus, and in- 
formed Ferdinand and Isabella that he 
was advised by his counsel that, under the 
authority of the early bull already referred 
to, any countries that might be discovered 
south of a line drawn westward from the 
Canaries were, in the eye of the law, a 
part of Africa, and as such would belong 
to Portugal. The Spanish monarchs con- 
ducted the diplomatic dispute with him in 
the ablest manner, sending to Portugal 
their most tedious ambassadors, and thus 
prolonging the negotiations as long as 
possible. 

Columbus, refusino^ all offers to lecture 



1493] HIS RECEPTION, I37 

before the Spanish lyceums, hurried for- 
ward his own expedition so as to sail be- 
fore the Portuguese fleet could be made 
ready. With the aid of Fonseca and the 
latter's two chief assistants, Francisco Pi- 
nelo and Juan de Soria, he collected seven- 
teen ships, their crews, and a large com- 
pany of colonists, and all the supplies and 
live-stock needed for planting an imposing 
colony. There was no lack of volunteers. 
Every man who thirsted for adventure, 
and every ruined nobleman who wanted 
to repair his broken fortunes, was eager to 
accompany Columbus ; and even the small- 
boys, excited by a desire to scalp Indians, 
were anxious to run away and ship as 
cabin-boys on board the fleet. No less 
than fifteen hundred persons were either 
accepted as volunteers or accompanied the 
expedition as stowaways, and among them 
was as fine and varied a collection of 
scoundrels as had ever set sail from an 
alleged Christian country. 

The expedition was not organized with- 
out several disputes between Columbus 



138 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 57 

and Fonseca. The latter complained that 
the Admiral wanted too many servants, 
including footmen, coachmen, and other 
gaudy and useless followers ; while the 
Admiral, in his turn, insisted that the Arch- 
deacon could not be made to understand 
that footmen were absolutely necessary to 
the work of exploration. The King, when 
appealed to, always decided that Columbus 
was right; but it is doubtful if Fonseca's 
affection for the Admiral was thereby 
greatly increased. Finally all was ready, 
and on the 25th of September, 1493, the 
second personally conducted transatlantic 
expedition of Christopher Columbus set 
sail from Cadiz. 



CHAPTER XI. 

EXPLORATIONS IN THE WEST INDIES. 

THE voyage was smooth and prosper- 
ous. The expedition reached the 
Canaries on the ist of October, where 
Columbus laid in a supply of chickens, 
sheep, goats, calves, and pigs. It is in- 
teresting to know that these were the 
pioneer pigs of America. They were 
eight in number, and from them descend- 
ed most of the pigs that now inhabit the 
West India islands. On October 7th the 
fleet again weighed anchor, and by order 
of its Admiral steered in a rather round- 
about direction for the islands which were 
supposed to lie south of Hispaniola. Co- 
lumbus was determined — of course for the 
noblest and most public-spirited reasons — 
that no one but himself should know the 
true route to the New World ; but his 
trick of steering first in one direction and 



140 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 57 

then in another could not have had the 
desired effect of puzzling any really intel- 
ligent sailor. This time whales, floating 
bushes, and other signs of land were not 
needed to cheer the crews, and conse- 
quently they were not seen — a circum- 
stance that strengthens in the minds of 
some persons the belief that Columbus on 
his first voyage secretly dropped these signs 
of land overboard from the bow of his 
vessel, and then called his men to look at 
them. In the latter part of the voyage a 
heavy thunder-storm occurred, and while 
it was in progress lights were seen at 
the tops of the masts and elsewhere aloft. 
These electrical phenomena, called by the 
sailors '* St. Elmo's candles," were received 
with much satisfaction as evident tokens 
that the saint was busily taking care of 
the vessels. As he is an able and careful 
saint, it is perhaps impertinent to criti- 
cise his methods, but it does seem rather 
odd that he cannot take care of a ship 
without running the risk of setting her on 
fire by the reckless use of naked and un- 



1493] EXPLORATIONS IN WEST INDIES. I4I 

protected lights. This was the only storm 
of consequence that was met on the pas- 
sage, and, thanks to St. Elmo! it does not 
seem to have done any harm. 

On the 3d of November, which was 
Sunday, the island of Dominica was 
sighted, and the usual hymns were sung 
and prayers were said. So many islands 
soon came in sight that it was difficult to 
select one on which to land. In this em- 
barrassment of riches, the Admiral finally 
landed on an island which he called Mari- 
galante, after the name of the flag-ship. 
It was a fair average sort of island, but 
after taking formal possession of it and of 
all other islands, visible and invisible, be- 
longing to the same group, Columbus 
left it and sailed to the island of Guada- 
lupe, a few miles distant, where he landed 
on November 4th. 

There was a village near the shore, but 
the inhabitants fled as the Spaniards 
landed, leaving behind them only a few 
useless babies. Searching the houses, 
Columbus discovered the stern-post of a 



142 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 57 

European vessel, which must have drifted 
across the Atlantic, since it was much too 
large to have been sent through the Post 
Office, even if we assume — which is gross- 
ly improbable — that any native had writ- 
ten to Europe and ordered a stern-post. 
From the number of human bones which 
were found in the ash-barrels and garbage- 
boxes at this village, it was suspected that 
the people were cannibals, as in fact they 
were, being no other than the fierce and 
cruel Caribs. 

Pursuing his voyage along the coast, 
Columbus again landed and explored more 
deserted villages, capturing a woman and 
a boy who had lingered a little too long 
behind the absconding villagers. On re- 
turning to his ship, the Admiral was pained 
to learn that one of his officers, Captain 
Diego Marque, and eight men, who had 
gone ashore without orders, had not yet 
returned, and were probably already under- 
going preparation for a Caribbean dinner. 
Alonzo de Ojeda, a young nobleman who 
afterward became famous as one of the 



1493] EXPLORATIONS IN WEST INDIES. 143 

ablest and most cruel of Spanish explorers, 
was sent on shore in command of a de- 
tachment to search for the missing men, 
and to bring back as much of them as 
might remain uneaten. Ojeda searched in 
vain, and returned with the report that 
Marque and his comrades could not be 
found, even in the unsatisfactory shape of 
cold victuals. Several women who came 
on board the fleet, announcing that they 
were runaway slaves, told frightful stories 
of the atrocities perpetrated by the Caribs, 
and the missing men were universally be- 
lieved to have been killed and eaten. At 
last, after several days. Marque and his 
men appeared on the shore, extremely 
ragged and hungry. They had merely 
lost themselves in the woods, and had not 
seen a single cannibal. Of course some 
indignation was felt at this trivial end of 
what had been mistaken for a terrible 
tragedy, and Columbus promptly punished 
the dehnquents, ostensibly for being ab- 
sent without leave. 

On the 14th of November, after sailing 



144 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 57 

hither and thither through the Caribbean 
archipelago, the fleet anchored at the island 
of Santa Cruz. The natives fled into the 
interior as usual, but a canoe-load of Indi- 
ans made its appearance a little later, and, 
on being chased by one of the Spanish 
boats, shot showers of poisoned arrows at 
the pursuers. After a lively battle, in 
which a Spaniard was fatally wounded and 
one of the Indians was killed, the canoe 
was sunk and the survivors captured. 
They were so fierce and ugly in appear- 
ance that they were instantly judged to be 
cannibals of the deepest dye, and were 
loaded with chains and afterward sent to 
Spain as curiosities. 

So many new islands were now sighted 
that Columbus, whose stock of names was 
growing small, called one of them St. 
Ursula, and the others her eleven thou- 
sand virgins. It is true that there were 
not eleven thousand islands ; but as St. 
Ursula never had eleven thousand virgins, 
the name was not so extremely inappro- 



1493] EXPLORATIONS IN WEST INDIES. 145 

priate. The exact number of these islands 
was finally ascertained to be fifty. 

Discovering Porto Rico, and devoting 
two days to exploring its coast-line, Co- 
lumbus steered for Hispaniola, which he 
reached on the 2 2d of November. The 
natives came off to the fleet in boats, and 
were remarkably polite ; but Columbus 
did not land until he reached Samana Bay. 
Here he sent one of his converted Indians 
on shore, dressed in the best Spanish 
fashion, with instructions to lecture to the 
natives on the grandeur of Spain ; but 
whether the lecturer was tedious and met 
a deserved death at the hands of his first 
audience, or whether he seized the oppor- 
tunity to return to the comforts of naked 
paganism, was never known. In any case, 
he never returned, and it is greatly to be 
feared that in his case the trouble and ex- 
pense of conversion wxre wasted. 

On the 25th the expedition anchored in 
a harbor to which the Admiral gave the 
name of Monte Christo, in honor of M. 



146 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^Et. 57 

Alexandre Dumas. On landing, the Span- 
iards were shocked to find four bodies, one 
of which was recognized by its beard as 
the body of a Spaniard. The circumstan- 
ces in which these bodies were found 
showed that they had been the victims of 
violence, and it was at once feared that 
the colony of La Navidad had met with a 
disaster. The natives said they knew 
nothing about the bodies, and were so in- 
nocent in their demeanor that no one 
cared to suspect them of murder. The 
Admiral, in an anxious frame of mind, 
made haste to arrive at La Navidad, which 
he reached on the 27th, but at too late an 
hour to venture to land. Guns were fired 
and Coston night-signals burned on board 
the fleet, but there was no sign of life from 
the fort. That night a suspicion dawned 
upon the minds of some of the fifteen hun- 
dred adventurers that the New World was 
not worth finding, and that colonization 
was a delusion and a snare. 

Before morning a canoe containing a 
cousin of Guacanagari came out to the 



1493] EXPLORATIONS IN WEST INDIES. 147 

fleet in search of Columbus, bringing for 
him some valuable presents. The visit- 
ors reported that Caribs had invaded the 
island, and that Guacanagari had been 
wounded in battle with them, and was at a 
distant village under the care of a doctor, — 
whose certificate to that effect, however, he 
failed to produce. As to the colony of 
La Navidad, he did not seem to know 
very much about it. He said it was his 
impression that the colonists had been sick ; 
he believed some of them had moved away ; 
and he had a vague idea that they had 
fought a little among themselves. Having 
thus cheered up the Admiral, the friendly 
native returned to the shore, and the 
Spaniards waited anxiously for daylight. 

When the day finally dawned, and the 
Spaniards prepared to land, they were sur- 
prised to find that not a native was visible. 
On landing, they were still more surprised 
to find that the colonists had totally disap- 
peared, that the fort was in ruins, and that 
Guacanagari's village was a heap of ashes. 
From the appearance of the fort, it was evi- 



148 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 5? 

dent that it had been captured and sacked. 
Further search resulted in the discovery of 
the buried bodies of eleven Spaniards, 
while in the native houses farther in the 
interior, from which the inhabitants hastily 
fled, were found articles which had for- 
merly been the property of the missing 
colonists. 

Gradually the natives overcame their 
fears, and came to meet Columbus. They 
told a story which was intrinsically proba- 
ble, and doubtless true. The colonists had 
conducted" themselves as sailors left to 
themselves in a tropical climate, among 
gentle savages, might have been expected 
to. They refused to work, they adopted 
polygamy as their chief occupation, and, 
not content with quarrelling among them- 
selves, they insulted and outraged the na- 
tives until the latter began to feel seriously 
provoked. After a time the two lieuten- 
ants of Don Diego de Arana, the Gover- 
nor, headed a rebellion against him, but, 
being defeated, marched off with nine men 
and a large supply of wives to search for 



1493] EXPLORATIONS IN WEST INDIES I49 

gold in the interior. Reaching the domi- 
nions of the cacique Caonabo, a powerful 
chief of Carib birth, they were pleasantly 
welcomed and cheerfully put to death. 
Being of the opinion that there were still 
more Spaniards on the island than were 
really needed, Caonabo formed an alliance 
with another chief of like views, and, fall- 
ing upon the fort at night, captured it and 
massacred every colonist with the excep- 
tion of a few who saved themselves by 
rushing into the sea and drowning in pri- 
vacy. The friendly natives further said 
that they fought under the leadership of 
Guacanagari on the side of the Spaniards, 
and were badly beaten. 

A coasting expedition having discovered 
the village where Guacanagari was resid- 
ing, Columbus went to see him. He 
found the cacique lying in bed, surrounded 
by seven wives and suffering greatly. 
Guacanagari repeated the story of the cap- 
ture of the fort, and put in evidence his 
wounded leg, marked '' Exhibit A," as 
proof of the truth of his story. Unfortu- 



150 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 57 

nately, no wound was visible, and although 
the cacique insisted that his leg had been 
utterly ruined by a heavy stone which had 
struck it, the Spanish surgeon was of opin- 
ion that nothing was the matter. Father 
Boyle, who was a most zealous ecclesiastic, 
held that this was an excellent opportunity 
for showing the islanders the merits of the 
Christian religion, and recommended that 
Guacanagari should be promptly burned 
at the stake. But the Admiral, although 
he admitted that it was difficult to explain 
the cacique's leg in a satisfactory way, ar- 
gued that he would be much more useful 
raw than he would if roasted, and to prove 
this assertion exchanged a large quantity 
of glass beads with the cacique for merely 
their weight in gold. This demonstration 
satisfied the Spaniards temporarily, with 
the exception of Father Boyle, who was 
pained to find Columbus apparently sub- 
ordinating Christian duty to a love of gain. 
Guacanagari went on board the flag- 
ship with the Admiral, where he was 
much pleased with the horses, which he 



1493] EXPLORATIONS IN WEST INDIES. 151 

saw for the first time, and pronounced to 
be very able and ingenious animals. He 
was also observed to take altogether too 
much interest in ten women whom Co- 
lumbus had carried off from the Carib- 
bean islands. The conversation between 
Guacanagari and the Spaniards is said to 
have been constrained and awkward, as 
indeed it doubtless was, for no one could 
converse easily and pleasantly with a 
cacique who was constantly gazing in 
admiration at ten different women. Co- 
lumbus, as a token of good-will, hung an 
image of the Virgin around Guacanagari's 
neck, who, when lie learned that the 
Christians worshipped it, said he would 
rather not wear it, lest he should become 
a Christian and covet his neighbor's wife 
and break his neighbor's skull, like the 
late Christian colonists. Father Boyle 
was more anxious to burn him than ever 
after hearing this blasphemous remark ; 
but Columbus very properly said it was 
inhospitable and unjustifiable to burn 
visitors, except in the case of a surprise- 



152 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 57 

party, and that the cacique should go on 
shore safely, which he shortly did. 

The next day Guacanagari did not re- 
turn to the ship, but in his place sent his 
brother, who paid a great deal of attention 
to the Carib women, talking with them — 
as he said — on scientific matters. That 
night the ten Carib women jumped over- 
board and swam ashore, and when the 
Spaniards landed in the morning to search 
for them, no trace could be found either of 
the women or of Guacanagari. It was too 
evident that the cacique had fallen in love 
ten deep, and had eloped with his ten heart's 
idols. The Spaniards, who of course took 
no interest in the women, were shocked 
at the painful example of immorahty set 
by Guacanagari, and agreed that they 
were now convinced that he and his hypo- 
critical savages had either betrayed the 
colonists to Caonabo, or had slaughtered 
them and then invented Caonabo and laid 
the blame upon him. 



CHAPTER XII. 

ATTEMPTS AT COLONIZATION. 

GUACANAGARI, in his last interview 
with Columbus, had advised him not 
to plant a new colony at La Navidad. 
He said that, while he was extremely anx- 
ious to have the Spaniards as neighbors, 
duty compelled him to admit that the 
locality was an unhealthy one, and that 
foreigners settling there were sure to con- 
tract chills and fever. Columbus shared 
the opinion that it was an unhealthy place, 
but he thought that colonists would be 
more apt to contract bloodthirsty native 
chiefs than peaceful malarious fever. At 
any rate, he was clear that it would be 
unwise to repeat the experiment of colon- 
ization at a place with such unpleasant as- 
sociations. 

Expeditions were sent along the coast 
to find a new location, but as no eligible 



154 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 58 

building spots were found, the fleet set sail 
for Monte Christo. About thirty miles 
east of Monte Christo a fine harbor was 
found, and, on landing, the Admiral was so 
pleased with the place that he resolved to 
build a city without further delay. The 
ships were unloaded, and the animals were 
set on shore. A nice city, called the city 
of Isabella, was then laid out, with a church, 
a government-house, a town-pump, a cus- 
tom-house, a jail, and everything that could 
make the colonists feel comfortable and at 
home. 

This done, the Spaniards, including Co- 
lumbus, fell sick with great unanimity. 
Most of them felt that they could have 
been sick to more advantage in Spain, 
and that, on the whole, they wanted their 
money back. If exploration consisted in 
crossing an inexcusably wide ocean merely 
to build houses among unsociable savages, 
and to contract marsh-fever, they were 
confident that they had had quite enough 
of it. Columbus knew that he must soon 
send the fleet back to Spain for fresh sup- 



1494] A TTEMPTS A T COLONIZA TION. 1 5 5 

plies of food, medicine, and clothing ; but 
he disliked to send home the unsatisfactory 
report that the first set of colonists were 
all dead, and the second all sick. He 
therefore ordered Ojeda to get together a 
few comparatively well men, and to march 
into the interior and discover something 
that could be mentioned to advantage in 
his official report. 

With a small force Ojeda marched 
across the mountain range that lay back 
of Isabella, and descended into a delight- 
ful plain, where every prospect pleased 
him, and the natives were less than usually 
vile. Gold was found to be really plenti- 
ful, and when Ojeda returned Columbus 
saw his way clear to writing a brilliant re- 
port, and the colonists' spirits revived. 

Twelve of the ships were immediately 
got ready for sea and loaded with specimens 
of plants for the Agricultural Bureau, 
gold for the Spanish monarchs, and Ca- 
ribs for the church. Columbus, in his 
report, passed lightly and skilfully over 
the unpleasant features of the expedition, 



15^ CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [M\.. 58 

and dwelt eloquently upon the beauty of 
the island, the healthful situation of the 
city, and the enormous wealth of the gold- 
mines. He also forcibly pointed out the 
great need which the cannibal Caribs had 
of being promptly converted. He pro- 
posed that Spain should send out ships 
laden with supplies, which he would pay 
for with Carib slaves, and that when the 
slaves reached Spain they could be con- 
verted at Httle expense, and made to do a 
great deal of work. Thus the cause of 
missions could be carried on at a profit of 
at least a hundred per cent and a joint 
stock company for the enslavement and 
conversion of Caribs would be able to de- 
clare large and frequent dividends. 

Columbus had always maintained that 
his chief object in discovering America 
was to spread the Gospel, and this pro- 
posal to enslave the Caribs shows that he 
was sincere. Nevertheless, Queen Isa- 
bella said it would be a shame to make 
the poor Caribs slaves, and that she was 
surprised that Columbus should think of 



1494] ATTEMPTS AT COLONIZATION. 1^7 

such a thing. Thus the Admiral's great 
missionary scheme proved abortive, but 
his arguments were afterward used with 
great success in defence of the slave-trade 
which stocked the Georgian and South 
Carolinian plantations. 

On the 2d of February, 1494, the twelve 
ships set sail for Spain, and Columbus felt 
that unless the officers should prove indis- 
creet and tell unpleasant truths, his report 
would be accepted as a proof of the suc- 
cess of his second great expedition. 

The colonists' spirits had been raised 
by the sight of the gold brought back by 
Ojeda, but they fell to a very low ebb 
when the ships departed. The prospect 
of remaining behind to die of fever, while 
their more fortunate companions could go 
home and tell magnificent stories with no 
one to contradict them, was very depress- 
ing. In vain did Father Boyle celebrate the 
very highest kind of mass in the church, 
and in vain did Columbus put the jail in the 
best possible order. Nothing could make 
the colonists feel contented and happy. 



158 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^Et. 58 

In these circumstances, they naturally 
abused the Admiral. They said he was 
only an Italian, any way, and had no right 
to command Spanish gentlemen. They 
even went so far as to make personal and 
disparaging remarks concerning organ- 
grinders, and expressed the opinion that 
an organ-grinder should stick to his 
monkey and refrain from meddling with 
exploration. There was an alleged scien- 
tific person among them — one Fermin 
Cedo — who pretended there were no gold- 
mines on the island. He said he had an- 
alyzed the gold brought back by Ojeda, 
and it was grossly adulterated. He ad- 
mitted that the Indians did have a little 
real gold, but maintained that they had 
inherited it from their ancestors and could 
not find any more even if they were to 
try. The malcontents, under the leader- 
ship of Bernal Diaz, the comptroller, who 
appears to have had all the obstinacy and 
wrong-headedness that pertain to that office 
in our own day, resolved to seize the re- 
maining ships and return to Spain, leav- 



1494] ATTEMPTS AT COLONIZATION. 1 59 

ing Columbus to enjoy the fever by him- 
self. Columbus, however, discovered the 
plot and immediately recovered his health 
sufficiently to arrest Diaz, to punish the 
least respectable of his followers, and thus 
to suppress the mutiny. 

In order to divert his men from thoughts 
of fever and mutiny, the Admiral now pre- 
pared to lead an expedition into the in- 
terior. He appointed his brother Diego 
Governor of Isabella during his absence, 
and with four hundred men — all, in fact, 
who were well enough to march — he set 
out for the gold-bearing mountains of 
Cibao. Following the route taken by 
Ojeda the party crossed the nearest range 
of mountains, and entered the fertile plain 
previously mentioned. The natives were 
at first greatly frightened by the horse- 
men ; and when they discovered that a 
horse and his rider were not made in 
one piece, but could be taken apart, they 
were more than ever filled with admira- 
tion at the mechanical ingenuity of the 
Spaniards. 



l6o CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 58 

Crossing the plain, Columbus penetrated 
into the mountainous region of Cibao, over 
which the Carib chief Caonabo ruled. 
Nothing, however, was seen of him, and 
the natives were as friendly as those of 
the plain. They brought gold-dust and 
small nuggets to Columbus, and assured 
him that at the distance of about a day's 
march gold could be found in nuggets of 
the size of a piece of chalk. 

This originally meritorious story had 
now become so old that Columbus paid 
no attention to it, knowing that if he 
were to march all the rest of his life, the 
richest gold-mines would always be a lit- 
tle farther off. So he selected a con- 
venient mountain, where he built a fort, 
calling it St. Thomas, which he garri- 
soned with fifty-six men commanded by 
Pedro Margarite. There appears not to 
have been any reason for building and 
garrisoning this fort, unless it was a desire 
on the part of the Admiral to station Mar- 
garite and his men where they could not 
take part in any future mutiny in Isabella. 



1494] ATTEMPTS AT COLONIZATION. l6l 

Returning with the rest of the force, 
Columbus reached Isabella on the 29th 
of March, stopping by the way to trade 
with the natives and to learn their method 
of living. He found the people whom he 
had left at Isabella in a more gloomy state 
than ever. Their stock of medicines was 
nearly exhausted, and their provisions 
were growing scarce. He was compelled 
to put them on half rations, and to build 
a mill for grinding corn. The mill was a 
happy thought ; but when it was built, 
tbe colonists unanimously agreed that 
Spanish gentlemen could not grind corn 
without losing their self-respect. Colum- 
bus said he rather thought they could, and 
he compelled every man to take his turn 
at grinding, thereby confirming them in 
the opinion that no Italian accustomed to 
grind out "Annie Laurie" and *' Baby 
Mine" could possibly understand the feel- 
ings of a gentleman. 

A messenger soon arrived from Fort St. 
Thomas, announcing that Caonabo was 
about to attack it. Ojeda was therefore 



l62 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 58 

put in command of three hundred and 
ninety-six men, and ordered to capture 
Caonabo and inaugurate the new jail with 
him. Ojeda, promptly started, and on his 
way met a Spaniard who had been robbed. 
Being a just man, Ojeda thereupon seized 
the cacique of the province, his son, and 
nephew, and sent them to Isabella, where 
Columbus, filled with horror at the crime 
which they had not committed, sentenced 
them to death — a sentence which he after- 
ward revoked in order to show his cle- 
mency. 

As nearly all the able-bodied colonists 
were now in the interior, Columbus 
thought it would be safe to undertake a 
small exploring voyage, and so, leaving 
Don Diego in charge of the city, he took 
three of the ships and sailed for Cuba. 
Had he been a selfish and heartless man, 
he might have imagined that during his 
absence the sick at Isabella would die, 
and the Spaniards in the interior would 
either starve to death or be killed by 
Caonabo — thus ridding him of much care 



\ 



1494] ATTEMPTS AT COLONIZATION. 1 63 

and vexation. As he was not this kind 
of man, we can only wonder at his sim- 
plicity in dividing his forces in the face 
of a cruel enemy, and then calmly sailing 
away with the most useful of the ships. 
He left reams of written instructions to 
Margarite, Ojeda and Don Diego, point- 
ing out to them the wickedness of quar- 
relling, and recommending them not to 
allow Caonabo to exterminate them. He 
also left Father Boyle behind him, proba- 
bly because that zealous ecclesiastic's long- 
ing to burn somebody made him an unsafe 
person to take to sea, where the utmost 
caution in regard to fire is necessary. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

SEARCH FOR CHINA. — SUBJUGATION OF HIS- 
PANIOLA. 

ON the 24th of April Columbus set sail, 
determined this time to reach the Em- 
pire of China. He anchored for a night 
at La Navidad, but saw nothing of Gua- 
canagari. Sailing thence, he reached Cuba 
and began to coast along the south side of 
the island. The natives ran away as usual, 
and were afterward coaxed back with 
beads. They told him, with some varia- 
tions, the familiar story of a gold-bearing 
island farther south, and Columbus de- 
cided to give them one more chance to 
prove its truth. He steered south in 
search of the mythical Babeque, and when 
he came within sight of a fine large island, 
he began to hope that Babeque was found 
at last ; but it proved to be only Jamaica. 
Instead of running away, the natives 



1494] SEARCH FOR CHINA. 165 

came out in canoes to welcome the Span- 
iards with bloody lances to hospitable 
drowning-places. Without stopping to 
fight the first batch of seventy canoes, 
the fleet sailed on in search of a good 
harbor. When an apparently eligible 
place for anchoring was found, a boat was 
sent to make soundings, and was attacked 
by the natives, who swarmed on the beach. 
A force was therefore landed to convince 
the natives that their conduct was impo- 
lite; and after many of them had been 
shot and the rest driven into the w^oods in 
terror, with a savage dog in hot pursuit, 
they were convinced of their error. The 
local cacique sent envoys and negotiated a 
treaty, after which the Spaniards were per- 
mitted to repair their vessels and take in 
water in peace. Columbus explored the 
coast for some little distance to the west- 
ward, but finding no signs of gold, or of 
the rum for which it afterward became 
famous, returned to Cuba and resumed his 
search for China. 

Day after day he sailed slowly westward, 



l66 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 5^ 

keeping near the coast and frequently 
landing to inquire if China was close at 
hand. Sometimes the information he re- 
ceived gave him great encouragement. 
For example, one able and imaginative 
cacique told him of a tribe of men with 
tails. As it was notorious that men with 
tails inhabited a part of Asia, Columbus 
naturally thought the cacique's story re- 
ferred to them, and that he would soon 
reach the region described by the vera- 
cious Sir John Mandeville. Another ca- 
cique told him of a king who habitually 
wore a w^hite garment and was called a 
saint. This king Columbus immediately 
identified with Prester John, though he 
ought to have remembered that no true 
Presbyterian would dream of wearing- 
white robes except in the seclusion of his 
bedchamber. Encouraged by these sto- 
ries, the hopeful explorer sailed on toward 
China, now narrowly escaping shipwreck 
in the maze of small islands known to us 
as the '* Keys," and now learning with as- 
tonishment what violent thunder-storms 



1494] SEARCH FOR CHINA. 167 

the West Indies can produce when they 
are needed. At one time the sea became 
the color of milk, which greatly alarmed 
the sailors. They said that putting milk 
into the sea was a defiance of the laws of 
nature, which provide that water should 
always be put into milk, and that they did 
not like to cruise in latitudes where so un- 
natural a practice was followed. Still, Co- 
lumbus persevered. Cuba seemed really 
to have no end, or to be, in other words, a 
continent. 

Finally, at the end of fifty days, when 
not a particle of China had been found, 
and the vessels were so strained as to be 
entirely unseaworthy, the sailors informed 
Columbus that this thing had gone 
quite far enough, and that it was time to 
turn back. The Admiral was so sure that 
Pekin must be within a few days' sail that 
he was very anxious to pursue the voyage, 
but he finally agreed to compromise the 
matter. He said he would turn back, 
provided every officer, sailor, and boy 
would make an affidavit that Cuba was a 



l68 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 58 

part of the mainland of Asia. This they 
consented to do with much alacrity, and 
when every affidavit had been duly sworn 
in the presence of a notary, Columbus an- 
nounced that any person who should at 
any time express the view that Cuba was 
an island would be judged guilty of per- 
jury and punished by a fine of ten thou- 
sand maravedies, or by a hundred lashes 
and the amputation of the tongue. 

Having thus conclusively ascertained 
that Cuba was Asia, he steered south-east, 
and on the 13th of June anchored at the 
Isle of Pines. Had he only kept on his 
voyage westward a day or two longer, he 
would have reached the w^estern extremity 
of Cuba, and would have learned that it 
was an island. 

The voyage back along the Cuban coast 
was laborious, the weather being often 
boisterous and the winds adverse. The 
sailors became so worn out that Columbus 
was compelled to anchor in a convenient 
harbor and live on shore with his men for 
more than a week, in order that they might 



1494] SEARCH FOR CHINA. 1 69 

rest. Here he met with a venerable ca- 
cique, who gave him excellent advice as to 
his future conduct, and assured him that if 
he did not treat the natives justly he would 
be punished in a future world. Judging 
from the report of the cacique's sermon, he 
was almost as good a Christian as Father 
Boyle. 

When his men were sufficiently repaired, 
Columbus sailed to Jamaica and resumed 
the exploration of its coast-line. He 
circumnavigated the island without meet- 
ing with any hostile demonstrations from 
the natives, and, although he saw no gold, 
he was kind enough to speak well of Ja- 
maica in his official report. He was rather 
embarrassed by a particularly gorgeous 
cacique, arrayed in a cotton helmet and 
a necklace of green stones, who with his 
entire family boarded the flag-ship and in- 
formed the Admiral that he intended to 
go to Spain with him. Columbus had 
some difficulty in declining the cacique's 
company, but he finally convinced him that 
if he wished to take passage he must apply 



170 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 58 

at the office of the company and provide 
himself with tickets in the usual way. The 
truth is, the female part of the cacique's 
family was numerous and beautiful, and 
the judicious Admiral feared that the 
presence of the ladies would seriously in- 
terfere with the duties of his officers. 

On the 20th of August the fleet reached 
Hispaniola, but Columbus did not recog- 
nize it, and fancied that he had discovered 
a new island. A day or two later a cacique 
came off to meet him in a canoe, and, ad- 
dressing him in broken Spanish, informed 
him of his true locality. Columbus there- 
fore landed nine of his men, with orders to 
proceed to Isabella and report to Don 
Diego, and then continued his voyage along 
the south coast of the island. The winds, 
however, persistently opposed him, and he 
was compelled to lie at anchor for many 
days. This slow progress, added to the 
toils and cares which he had lately experi- 
enced, told heavily on the Admiral's health, 
already enfeebled by his illness at Isabella. 
He kept on his feet till the last moment, 



1494] SEARCH FOR CHINA, 1 71 

but on the 24th of September was struck 
down by an an attack which rendered him 
totally insensible, and in that condition he 
remained for several days, while the fleet 
pursued its way and finally reached Isa- 
bella. 

One of the first to welcome the Admiral 
when he landed was his brother Bartholo- 
mew. Years before, when Columbus was 
seeking some monarch who would take an 
interest in exploration, he sent Bartholo- 
mew to England to see if King Henry 
VII. was that kind of king. Either the 
Post Office of the period was badly 
managed, or Christopher Columbus was 
so much occupied with thoughts of explora- 
tion that he forgot the existence of Bartho- 
lomew. At any rate, neither brother ap- 
pears to have heard a word from the other 
until Bartholomew accidentally learned 
that the Admiral had actually discovered 
the New World and was on the point of 
fitting out a second expedition. Bartholo- 
mew had at last induced King Henry to 
agree to give his brother the command of 



172 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 58 

an exploring expedition, but of course the 
news from Spain rendered this agreement 
useless. Bartholomew hastened to Spain 
by the most rapid route, and when he 
found on arriving that his brother had 
already sailed, he called on Ferdinand and 
Isabella, who immediately gave him three 
ships and sent him with supplies to the new 
colony. 

There is no doubt that Bartholomew 
Columbus was an able man, to whom full 
justice has never been done. He was sent 
to England on an errafid, and he stayed 
till it was accomplished, although it took 
him ten years to do it. Where is the man 
of the present day who would execute the 
wishes of a brother with this strict and 
patient fidelity, especially if during the 
whole time he should never receive a 
letter or a telegram from home? That 
Bartholomew was a bold and skilful sailor 
is proved by the fact that he found his 
way across the Atlantic to Isabella with- 
out any sailing directions, and in spite of 
the care that Christopher had taken to 



1494] SEARCH FOR CHINA. 1^3 

conceal the knowledge of the direct route. 
Evidently Bartholomew could both obey 
and command, and there is no reason to 
suppose that he was in any way inferior to 
his more famous brother. 

The Admiral appears to have recalled 
without much difficulty the fact that he 
had once had a brother Bartholomew, and 
to have readily recognized him. Probably 
he explained that, owing to a pressure of 
business, Bartholomew had escaped his 
memory, and he certainly showed that 
he was glad to see him by appointing him 
Adelantado, or Deputy Governor, of His- 
paniola. As he was still confined to his 
bed, the arrival of his brother was a very 
fortunate thing, affairs in the colony being 
in a precarious and dangerous state. 

When Ojeda and his army had reached 
Fort St. Thomas, Margarite, as ranking 
officer assumed the supreme command, and, 
leaving Ojeda with fifty men to garrison 
the fort, he set out, ostensibly to explore 
the island and intimidate Caonabo and 
other hostile chiefs. Instead of carrying 



174 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 58 

out this plan, he descended to the fertile 
plain at the foot of the mountains, where 
he quartered his troops on the natives and 
began to enjoy himself. Following his 
example, the soldiers conducted them- 
selves after the usual manner of idle and 
dissolute soldiers, and in a short time 
earned the enthusiastic hatred of the 
natives. Don Diego sent a remonstrance 
to Margarite, which that high-spirited 
gentleman regarded as an unwarrantable 
liberty. He refused to acknowledge 
Diego's authority, and, supported by his 
officers, set him at defiance. When it was 
evident that the patience of the natives 
would soon be exhausted, Margarite and 
some of his friends, including Father 
Boyle — who had become worn out by 
vainly waiting for an opportunity to exper- 
iment with a combustible heretic — seized 
one of the ships and sailed away to Spain. 
The soldiers, being left without any com- 
mander, lost all organization, and the army 
melted away. The natives found steady 
and pleasant employment in killing them 



I404] SEARCH FOR CHINA. 1^5 

in small quantities at a time, and about a 
hundred of them took refuge with our old 
friend Guacanagari. Caonabo thought 
this would be a good opportunity for cap- 
turing Fort St. Thomas, and accordingly he 
besieged it with a large force, but after 
thirty days withdrew, completely baffled 
by the bravery of Ojedaand his handful of 
men. He then undertook to unite the 
caciques in a league against the Spaniards, 
and succeeded in inducing all of them to 
join him, with the exception of Guacana- 
gari. The latter went to Isabella soon af- 
ter Columbus arrived, and warned him 
that an overwhelming force was about to 
attack the city. Troops were sent out to 
attack the nearest of the hostile caciques, 
who was soon reduced to submission. 

In the mean time, Ojeda with a small 
escort went to Caonabo's village and in- 
vited the cacique to visit Columbus and 
make a treaty with him, pledging him a 
safe-conduct. The cacique, weakly be- 
lieving Ojeda's promise, accepted the invi- 
tation and started with a small army of 



1/6 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 58 

followers. On the march Ojeda showed 
the cacique a pair of handcuffs, which he 
said were a decoration which the Spanish 
King conferred only on the most eminent 
of his subjects. Such, however, was the 
high opinion that the King had of Cao- 
nabo, that Ojeda was authorized to confer 
this splendid distinction upon him. As a 
preliminary, it would be necessary for 
Caonabo to mount on horseback, the brace- 
lets being conferred only on mounted 
knights. Caonabo, feeling himself highly 
honored, climbed on Ojeda's horse, behind 
that astute officer, and submitted to be 
manacled. No sooner was this done than 
Ojeda, and his escort galloped away and 
brought the captive cacique to Isabella, 
where he was safely lodged in jail. 

That Ojeda's conduct in this affair was 
treacherous and dishonorable there can be 
no question. Indeed, had he been the 
United States Government, and had Cao- 
nabo been a Black Hill Sioux, he could 
hardly have conducted himself more dis- 
honorably than he did. 



1494] SEARCH FOR CHINA. l^J 

The native league was thus temporarily 
broken up, and the arrival of four ships 
from Spain, bringing, besides colonists and 
stores, a doctor and an entire apothecary's 
shop, gave Columbus strength enough to 
get out of bed before the doctor could be- 
gin operations on him. The King and 
Queen sent Columbus a letter, announcing 
that they took their several pens in hand to 
say that they were well and hoped Columbus 
was enjoying the same blessing, and that 
they had the utmost confidence in him. 
This letter completed the Admiral's cure, 
and he immediately organized an expedi- 
tion against the natives, who were about 
to resume hostilities under the leadership 
of a brother of Caonabo. 

Before setting out, he sent Diego back 
to Spain, ostensibly to look after his in- 
terests. Perhaps the true reason was that 
Diego was of very little use and was ex- 
tremely unpopular. He was a well-mean- 
ing man, but his true sphere in fife was 
that of a justice of the peace in Connecti- 
cut ; and as Connecticut was not yet ready 



178 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 58 

for him, Columbus thought he had better 
go home and wait until a good opening in 
East Lyme or Falls Village should present 
itself. At the same time, five hundred 
natives were sent to Spain to be sold as 
slaves, Columbus remarking that he hoped 
in this way to prepare their precious souls 
for the humanizing influence of the Gospel. 
Having seen Diego safely started, Co- 
lumbus, with Bartholomew, two hundred 
and twenty Spaniards, and twenty other 
bloodhounds, started to attack the sav- 
ages. He met a hundred thousand of 
them — so the story goes — and defeated 
them with great slaughter. It is very 
probable that the number of the enemy 
was exaggerated, and that there were not 
more than ninety-nine thousand nine hun- 
dred and ninety-six, with perhaps two 
small-boys. There is no doubt, however, 
that they were shot down by the soldiers, 
ridden down by the horses, and mangled 
by the dogs to an immense extent, and 
that the battle was a glorious triumph of 
civilization over barbarism. 



1494] SEARCH FOR CHINA, 1/9 

The victory was followed up by Colum- 
bus with energy. He marched through 
almost the entire length and breadth of 
the island, and compelled the caciques to 
make peace and pay a heavy tribute to 
the Spaniards. Every native was taxed 
either a certain amount of gold or its 
equivalent in cotton, according to Co- 
lumbus's view of their relative value ; 
and to secure his conquest, the Admiral 
built and garrisoned forts in different 
parts of the island, the most important 
of which was called Fort Concepcion, and 
was situated in the beautiful plain lying 
back of Isabella. Even Guacanagari and 
his people, who had remained faithful to 
Columbus, were taxed as heavily as the 
hostile natives, and that amiable cacique 
was so disgusted by this reward of his 
fidelity that he resigned his chieftainship 
and died of what in the case of a white 
monarch would be called a broken heart, 

The yoke that the Spaniards had put 
on the native neck was too heavy to be 
borne. The savages resolved to starve 



l80 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 58 

their oppressors, and with this view de- 
stroyed their crops and retired to the 
mountains, to Hve on roots until the 
Spaniards should die of starvation. The 
plan was not successful. The Spaniards 
hunted the natives with dogs and dragged 
them back to work as slaves. Within a 
few months the free and happy people 
who had welcomed the Spaniards to the 
island, and were ready to worship them 
as superior beings, were converted into a 
horde of cowed and wretched slaves. 

In later years, when Columbus had seen 
his own authority in Hispaniola set aside, 
and the island under the control of his 
rivals and enemies, he protested that the 
sight of the sufferings of the unhappy na- 
tives filled him with grief and horror. It 
was, however, to his political advantage 
at just that time to have his heart bleed 
for the poor savages, and the unprejudiced 
reader must regret that it did not bleed at 
an earlier period. It was under the im- 
mediate rule of Columbus that the natives 
of Hispaniola were first reduced to sla- 



14941 SEARCH FOR CHINA, l8l 

very, and it was Columbus who made his 
old friend and faithful ally, Guacanagari, 
suffer the same fate as the chiefs who had 
rebelled against the Spaniards. Then it 
cannot be forgotten that, in spite of the 
direct and repeated commands of Queen 
Isabella, Columbus sent cargo after cargo 
of slaves to Spain. He may have been 
very sorry to see the natives oppressed by 
Spaniards whom he disliked, but he cer- 
tainly oppressed them quite as vigorously 
as did any of his successors. The contrast 
between his pious and humane protesta- 
tions and his acts as an oppressor and a 
slave-trader is not easily explicable if we 
adopt the usual theory that he was one of 
the most sincere and noble of men. We 
may concede that he was naturally kind- 
hearted, and that he would have preferred 
gold-mining to slave-hunting ; but when 
his interest urged him to cruelty, he usu- 
ally listened to it with respectful attention, 
and straightway showed by his conduct 
that, although he was not a countryman 
of Ojeda and Pizarro, he was not alto- 
gether unfit to hold a Spanish commission. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

DIFFICULTIES AND DISCOURAGEMENTS. 

MARGARITE and Father Boyle, as 
has been mentioned, had sailed for 
Spain while Columbus was absent on his 
cruise in search of China. Arriving in 
Spain, they told a series of able and effect- 
ive falsehoods, judiciously seasoned with a 
little genuine truth. They said it gave 
them the greatest pain to speak in dis- 
paraging terms of their superior officer, 
but a stern sense of duty compelled them 
to say that the misguided man was a liar 
and a scoundrel. All the Admiral's sto- 
ries of fertile islands, rich gold-mines, de- 
lightful climate, and amiable heathens 
clamoring for conversion, were without any 
foundation. Hispaniola was a wretched, 
fever-stricken place, wholly unfit for colo- 
nization. As for Columbus and his brother 
Bartholomew, they were cruel tyrants, who 



1495] DIFFICULTIES. I83 

required Spanish gentlemen to work and 
made sick men get out of their beds, 
where they were comparatively comforta- 
ble, in order to engage in ridiculous expe- 
ditions after gold that never existed. Of 
the two, Don Bartholomew was perhaps 
the more objectionable, which was un- 
fortunate, inasmuch as the Admiral, hav- 
ing put to sea in search of more of his 
worthless islands, had undoubtedly been 
drowned. 

It must be confessed that, in one re- 
spect, Margarite and Boyle did tell the 
truth. There were chills and fever in 
the new colony, and when the King and 
Queen saw the returned colonists visibly 
shaking before them, they believed in the 
unhealthfulness of Hispaniola and all the 
accompanying lies told by the malicious 
and malarious complainants. They there- 
fore resolved to send one Diego Carillo to 
Hispaniola as an investigating committee, 
to ascertain if there was anybody capable 
of telling the exact truth about the state 
of affairs. 



1 84 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 59 

But before Carillo could sail, Don Diego 
Columbus arrived, and as he brought con- 
siderable gold with him, the monarchs 
formed the opinion that he had the air of 
a man of strict veracity. He admitted 
that there was a part of the island of His- 
paniola, a long distance from the colony, 
where it was said that chills and fever pre- 
vailed, and he was inclined to believe that 
the report was true. As for the climate 
of Isabella and its vicinity, he regarded it 
as exceptionally healthful. He reported 
that the Admiral had positively been to 
the mainland of China, and regretted that 
he had thoughtlessly forgotten to bring 
back confirmatory tea-chests. 

Don Diego further assured the King 
and Queen that since the fortunate de- 
parture from Hispaniola of two objection- 
able persons whom he would not name, 
but who, he was informed, had recently 
arrived in Spain with a full cargo of as- 
sorted falsehoods, the affairs of the colony 
had been very prosperous. Of course, to 
bold and restless spirits there was a certain 



1495] DIFFICUL TIES. I S $ 

monotony in swinging in hammocks all 
day long, and eating delicious fruit, in a 
climate that was really perfect, and there 
were men who even grew tired of picking 
up nuggets of gold ; but Don Diego was 
confident that, with a very few exceptions, 
the colonists enjoyed their luxurious hfe 
and, on the whole, preferred Hispaniola to 
Paradise. 

Ferdinand and Isabella weighed the gold 
brought by Don Diego, and decided to 
believe him. They thereupon cancelled 
Carillo's appointment, and appointed in 
his place Juan Aguado, a personal friend 
of Columbus, who, it was understood, 
would go to Hispaniola in the character 
of a visiting statesman, and, after examin- 
ing such witnesses as Columbus might 
introduce to him, would return home and 
make a report that would completely sat- 
isfy the Admiral. 

In spite of this apparently friendly ac- 
tion, they gave Columbus just cause of 
complaint by throwing open the business 
of exploration, the monopoly of which 



1 86 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 59 

they had formally given to him. They 
authorized any Spaniard to fit out ex- 
ploring expeditions, under certain restric- 
tions, and to discover continents, islands, 
and seas, without any limitation as to num- 
ber ; the discoverers to pay the Crown one 
third of all the gold they might find. Co- 
lumbus was greatly grieved at this, not only 
because he feared that injudicious explorers 
would discover unhealthy islands, and 
would thus bring exploration into disrepute, 
but because it was a distinct breach of faith 
on the part of the King and Queen. As 
for the gracious permission which they 
gave him to freight a vessel to trade with 
the New World whenever any other ex- 
plorer should freight one for the like pur- 
pose, he evidently did not trust himself 
to express his opinion of such a hollow 
mockery of his rights. 

In August, 1495, Don Juan Aguado 
sailed for Hispaniola with a fleet loaded 
with supplies and a pocket filled with a 
royal decree, written on the best of parch- 
ment and ordering that the colony of 



1495] DIFFICULTIES. 1 8/ 

Isabella should consist of not over five 
hundred people. The astute monarchs 
had perceived that the larger the colony 
might be the more numerous and contra- 
dictory would be the complaints which the 
colonists would make, and hence they re- 
solved to limit the complaint-producing 
capacity of the colony, and to render it 
impossible for more than five hundred 
distinct accounts of the infamy of Colum- 
bus and the climate to be brought to their 
royal ears. 

As Aguado was supposed to be a firm 
friend of the Admiral, Don Diego Colum- 
bus decided to return with him to Isabella, 
which he accordingly did, arriving some 
time in October. We can imagine how 
glad Columbus must have been to find 
that his good though tedious brother's 
affection forbade him to desert his own 
dear Christopher. The latter was in the 
interior when Aguado arrived, and that 
officer immediately proceeded to astonish 
Don Bartholomew by putting on what 
Bartholomew rightly characterized as airs. 



1 88 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 59 

Aguado announced that he had come to 
put things to rights, and that the colonists 
now had a real friend to whom they 
could complain when insulted and op- 
pressed by domineering Italians. As Isa- 
bella was undoubtedly a dull place, the 
colonists eagerly availed themselves of the 
new occupation of making complaints 
against Columbus and his brother, and 
displayed a promptness and industry of 
which they had never before given any 
signs. Don Bartholomew instantly sent 
word to his brother that a new and alarm- 
ing kind of lunatic had arrived from 
Spain, with a royal commission authorizing 
him to raise the great adversary of man- 
kind, and that the sooner the Admiral re- 
turned the better. 

Columbus hastened to Isabella, where 
he orreeted Ac^uado with such overwhelm- 
ing politeness that the fellow became 
wretchedly unhappy. Pie had hoped to 
be able to report that Columbus had in- 
sulted him and treated the royal commis- 
sion with contempt, but he was disap- 



1495] DIFFICULTIES, 1 89 

pointed. He was a little cheered up, 
however, by a tremendous hurricane 
which wrecked all the Spanish ships ex- 
cept one, and kept the air for a time 
full of Spanish colonists, natives, and 
fragments of ruined buildings. This he 
thought would read very well in his in- 
tended report on the general infamy of the 
climate, and, despairing of obtaining any- 
thing better, he resolved to return to 
Spain as soon as a new vessel could be 
built. The Admiral announced that he 
intended to return with him, a piece of 
news that greatly discontented Aguado, 
who foresaw that after he had made his 
report concerning Columbus the latter 
would be entirely capable of making a re- 
port concerning Aguado. 

About this time a young Spaniard ar- 
rived from the interior with a most wel- 
come story. He had run away from Isa- 
bella on account of having nearly killed a 
fellow-colonist, and had met a beautiful 
female cacique living on the river Ozema, 
near the present site of San Domingo, 



190 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 60 

who had fallen violently in love with him. 
From her he had learned of rich 2:old- 
mines, and he humbly trusted that Colum- 
bus would condescend to look at them 
and to overlook his little indiscretion in 
the matter of his fellow-colonist. The 
Admiral, secretly feeling that any man 
who killed one of his colonists was a bene- 
factor of the human race, kindlv fororave 
him and went with him to inspect the 
mines, which he found to be apparently so 
rich that he instantly overhauled his Old 
Testament and his Geography, and de- 
cided that he had found the original land 
of Ophir. 

A new scientific person, who had been 
sent out to supersede the worthless Fermin 
Cedo, was ordered to take his crucibles, 
transit instruments, and other appara- 
tus, and make a satisfactory assay of the 
mines. He did so, and, being a clever 
man, reported to the Admiral that the 
gold was unusually genuine, and that the 
ore would probably average three hundred 
dollars to the ton. At least, that is what 



1496] DIFFICULTIES, IQI 

he would have reported had he been a 
modern expert investigating mining pro- 
perty in behalf of British capitalists, and 
we need not suppose that there were no 
able assayers prior to the discovery of 
silver in Colorado. Columbus read the 
report, expressed a high opinion of the sci- 
entific abilities of the assayer, and ordered 
a fort to be built in the neigborhood of 
the mines. 

Carrying with him specimens of gold 
from the new mines, and the report of the 
scientific person, Columbus sailed for 
Spain, in company with Aguado, on the 
loth of March, 1496. He left Don Bar- 
tholomew as Governor during his absence, 
and took with him the captive chief Cao- 
nabo, either as a specimen of the kind of 
heathen produced by the islaiTd, or because 
he thought it might be possible to convert 
the chief with the help of the many appli- 
ances in the possession of the church at 
home. He wisely refrained from taking 
any slaves, Don Diego having informed 
him that the Queen had ordered his previa 



192 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 60 

ous consignment of five hundred to be 
sent back to Hispaniola and set at liberty. 

The homeward-bound fleet consisted of 
only two vessels, but they met with as much 
head-wind as if they had been a dozen 
ships of the largest size, and on the loth 
of April they were compelled to stop at 
Guadaloupe for water and provisions. Here 
they were attacked by armed women as 
well as men. Several of these early 
American advocates of the equality of the 
sexes were captured, and set at liberty 
again when the ships sailed. One of them, 
however, improved the tim-e by falling in 
love with Caonabo, whom she insisted upon 
accompanying, and Columbus consented 
to carry her to Spain as a beautiful illus- 
tration of the affectionate character of the 
Western heathen. 

It was the 20th of April when the fleet 
left Guadaloupe, and Cadiz was not reached 
until the nth of June. The provisions 
were so nearly exhausted that during the lat- 
ter part of the voyage the sailors were almost 
in a state of starvation. Of course, when 



1496] DIFFICULTIES. 193 

the provisions were scarce and the men 
were put on short allowance, the prisoner 
Caonabo and his affectionate female friend 
received their share of food, for Columbus 
would never have permitted the unfortu- 
nate pair to starve. Still, it did happen 
that Caonabo died on the voyage, and his- 
tory is silent as to what became of his 
companion. 

The returned colonists told dismal sto- 
ries of their sufferings, but their stories 
were superfluous. Their wretched appear- 
ance ; the way in which they clung to the 
lamp-posts and shook them till the glass 
rattled ; and the promptness with which 
they rushed into the drug-stores and de- 
manded — each for himself, in a single breath 
— '' Six - dozen-two-grain - quinine-pills-and- 
be - quick - about - it !" furnished sufficient 
evidence of the sort of climate in which 
they had lived. It was useless for Colum- 
bus and his friends to say that the appear- 
ance and conduct of the shaking colonists 
were due to sea-sickness and long confine- 
ment on shipboard without proper pro- 



194 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 60-62 

visions. The incredulous public of Cadiz 
could not be thus imposed upon, and the 
visible facts as to the colonists offset in 
the popular mind the magnificent stories 
of the mines of Ophir which the Admiral 
circulated as soon as he landed. The 
monarchs sent him a courteous invita- 
tion to visit the court, but he was in great 
doubt as to the kind of reception which 
Margarite, Father Boyle, and Aguado 
would prepare for him. In order to show 
that he felt himself greatly humiliated by 
the credence which had been given to the 
reports against him, he dressed himself in 
a Franciscan's coarse gown, and let his 
beard grow. On his way to court he 
paraded some thirty Indians whom he had 
brought with him, dressed principally in 
gold bracelets, and thereby created the 
false and alarming impression on the pub- 
lic mind that the Black Crook had broken 
out with much violence. 

The King and Queen, when they saw 
the gold that Columbus had brought, and 
read the scientific person's certificates that 



1496-98] DIFFICULTIES. I95 

it was genuine, decided to disregard all 
the complaints against the Admiral. 
Aguado had nothing to repay him for 
his long voyage, and no one would listen 
to his report. It is believed that he final- 
ly published it as an advertisement at so 
much a line in the local Cadiz paper, and 
sent marked copies to all his friends. If 
so, he benefited no one but the printers, 
and did Columbus no apparent injury. 

Columbus was promised eight ships for 
a third exploring expedition, but the 
money was not in the treasury, or, at all 
events, the King and Queen could not 
make up their minds to spare it. They 
were engaged in two or three expensive 
wars and one or two difficult marriages, 
and were really quite pinched for money. 
At last, however, they gave Columbus an 
order for the amount ; but before it was 
paid, Pedro Alonzo Nino, who had been 
sent with supplies to Hispaniola, returned 
to Cadiz and announced that his ships 
were filled with gold. The monarchs 
therefore recalled their order, and in its 



196 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 60 

Stead gave Columbus a draft on Nino, to 
be paid from his cargo of gold. Further 
investigation showed that Niilo had spo- 
ken figuratively, and that he had no actual 
gold, but only a cargo of slaves, who, he 
estimated, would bring more or less gold 
if sold in the market. 

Meanwhile the monarchs had appropri- 
ated all their ready money for purposes of 
slaughter and matrimony, and so were 
compelled to decline advancing funds for 
the new expedition until their business 
should improve. 

Columbus had already lost much of his 
original popularity, and was daily losing 
what remained. That he had discovered 
new countries nobody denied ; but the 
complaint was that he had selected cheap 
and undesirable countries. The Queen, 
however, still admired and trusted him, 
for the Admiral was a man of remarkably 
fine personal appearance. She confirmed 
all the previous honors and privileges that 
had been promised to him, which looks as 
if in those days a royal promise became 



1496-98] DIFFICULTIES. 1 97 

outlawed, as the lawyers say, in one or 
two years unless it was renewed — a rule 
which must have greatly simplified the 
practice of diplomacy. Inasmuch as there 
had been a vast excess of expenses over 
receipts in the exploration business, Co- 
lumbus was released from the obligation 
to pay an eighth of the cost of every ex- 
pedition, and was given a large tract of 
land in Hispaniola, with the title of Duke, 
which title he refused, since it was inferior 
in rank to his title of Admiral. 

While waiting for the expedition to be 
made ready, Columbus improved the time 
by making his will. In this document he 
committed the task of recovering the Holy 
Sepulchre to his son Diego, and directed 
him to save up his money by putting it 
in the savings bank, until he should have 
enough to pay for a crusade. Curiously 
enough, Don Diego never was able to ac- 
cumulate the necessary sum, and the Holy 
Sepulchre is still waiting to be delivered. 
It was wise, however, in the Admiral to 
delegate this great duty to his son, and 



198 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.£1.62 

thus to free himself from an obligation 
which could not but interfere with the 
business of exploration. The more we can 
shift our burdens upon our descendants, 
the better time we shall have. This is the 
great principle upon which all enlightened 
nations base their financial policy. 

Early in 1498 the royal business had so 
far improved that two vessels loaded with 
supplies were sent to Hispaniola, and 
preparations were made for fitting out a 
fleet of six ships and a force of five hun- 
dred men. The five hundred men were 
not easily found. It was the popular be- 
lief that chills and fever were not worth 
the trouble of so long a voyage, and that 
there was little else to be got by serving 
under Columbus. In this emergency, the 
sentences of criminals in the Spanish jails 
were commuted to transportation to the 
New World, and a pardon was offered to 
all persons for whom the police were look- 
ing — with the exception of heretics and a 
few other choice criminals— who should 
surrender themselves and volunteer to join 



1498] DIFFICULTIES, 199 

the fleet. In this way the required num- 
ber of men was gradually obtained. In 
point of moral character the expedition 
might have competed with an equal num- 
ber of Malay pirates or New York plumb- 
ers. We are even told that some hardened 
and habitual musicians were thus carried 
by Columbus to the once peaceful and 
happy island of Hispaniola, taking with 
them their accordions and guitars. This 
is a blot upon the Admiral's character 
which his most ardent admirers cannot 
overlook. 



CHAPTER XV. 

HIS THIRD EXPEDITION. 

THE perseverance of Columbus tri- 
umphed over all obstacles. The ex- 
pedition was finally ready, and on the 
30th of May, 1498, the Admiral went on 
board the flag-ship and, after remarking 
''All ashore that's goin !" and "All 
aboard !" rang the final bell and started 
once more for the New World. Just as 
he was about to embark, one Breviesca, a 
clerk in the Indian Agents' Bureau, met 
him on the wharf and told Columbus that 
he would never return. 

"What, never?" exclaimed the aston- 
ished Admiral. 

"Well, hardly ever," replied the mis- 
creant. 

Of course Columbus instantly knocked 
him down, and went on board his vessel 
in a just but tremendous rage. He wrote 



1498] HIS THIRD EXPEDITION, 201 

to the Queen, informing her of the affair, 
and sincerely regretting that he had lost 
his temper. Long afterwards his enemies 
were accustomed to refer to the brutal 
way in which he had attacked an estima- 
ble and inoffensive gentleman, as a proof 
of his ungovernable temper, his Italian 
fondness for revenge, and his general un- 
fitness for any post of responsibility. 

The fleet steered first for Madeira, and 
then for the Canary Islands, touching at 
both places ; and at the latter surprising — 
as historians assure us — a French privateer 
with two Spanish prizes. What there was 
about Columbus or his fleet that was so 
surprising, has, of course, been left to our 
imagination, in accordance with the habit 
of historians to omit mentioning details 
of real interest. The Frenchman was at- 
tacked by the Spaniards, but managed to 
escape together with one of his prizes. 
The other prize was retaken by the Span- 
ish prisoners on board of her, and given up 
to Columbus, who turned the vessel over 
to the local authorities. 



202 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 62 

From the Canaries the fleet sailed to 
the Cape Verde Islands, where the Admi- 
ral divided his forces. Three ships he 
sent direct to Hispaniola, and with the 
other three he steered in a south-westerly 
direction, to make new discoveries. He 
soon discovered the hottest region in 
which he had ever yet been — the great 
champion belt of equatorial calms. There 
was not a breath of wind, and the very 
seams of the ships opened with the in- 
tense heat. It was evident to the sailors 
that they must be very close to the region 
where, according to the scientific persons 
of the period, the sea was perpetually boil- 
ing, and they began to fear that they would 
be roasted before the boiling process could 
begin. Luckily, a gentle breeze finally 
sprung up, and Columbus, abandoning the 
rash attempt to sail farther south, steered 
directly west, and soon passed into a com- 
forting, cool, and pleasant climate. 

On the 31st of July he discovered the 
island of Trinidad, and in view of the fact 
that his ships were leaky, his water almost 



1498] HIS THIRD EXPEDITION. 203 

gone, and his body alternately shaken by 
fever and twisted by gout, it was high 
time that land should have been found. 

The following day the flag-ship was sud- 
denly attacked by a canoe full of fierce 
natives, who threw spears and other 
unpleasant things at the Spaniards, and 
fought with great bravery. Columbus, 
determined to strike terror into the ene- 
my, ordered his musicians to assemble on 
deck and play familiar airs — probably from 
*' Pinafore." The result surpassed his most 
sanguine expectations. The unhappy na- 
tives fled in wild dismay as soon as the 
music began, and yelled with anguish 
when the first cornet blew a staccato 
note, and the man with the bass trombone 
played half a tone flat. When we re- 
member that the good Queen Isabella 
had particularly ordered Columbus to 
treat the natives kindly, we must earnest- 
ly hope that this cruel" incident never 
came to her presumably pretty ears. 

The fleet was now off the south shore of 
Trinidad, and the mainland was in plain 



204 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 62 

sight farther west. Columbus at first sup- 
posed that the mainland was only another 
island, and after taking in water he sailed 
west, with the intention of sailing beyond 
it. Passing through the narrow strait be- 
tween Trinidad and the continent, he en- 
tered the placid Gulf of Paria, where to his 
astonishment he found that the water was 
fresh. Sailing along the shore, he landed 
here and there and made friendly calls on 
the natives, whom he found to be a pleas- 
ant, light-colored race, with a commend- 
able fondness for exchanging pearls for 
bits of broken china and glass beads. 
No opening could be found through which 
to sail farther westward, and Columbus 
soon came to the opinion that he had 
this time reached the continent of Asia. 

One thing greatly astonished him. He 
had been fully convinced that the nearer he 
should approach the equator the blacker 
would be the people and the hotter the 
climate. Yet the people of Paria were 
light-colored, and the climate was vastly 
cooler than the scorching regions of the 



149S] HIS THIRD EXPEDITION. 205 

equatorial calms. Remembering also the 
remarkable conduct of the stars, which 
had materially altered their places since he 
had left the Cape Verde Islands, and re- 
flecting upon the unusual force of the cur- 
rents which had latterly interfered severe- 
ly with the progress of the ship, Columbus 
proceeded to elaborate a new and attrac- 
tive geographical theory. He wrote to 
Ferdinand and Isabella that, in his opin- 
ion, the world was not exactly round, like 
a ball or an orange, as he had hitherto 
maintained, but that it was shaped like a 
large yellow pear. He assumed that the 
region which he had now reached corre- 
sponded to the long neck of the pear, near 
the stem, as it appears when the pear is 
resting on its larger end. He had conse- 
quently sailed up a steep ascent since leav- 
ing Spain, and had by this means reached 
a cool climate and found light-colored 
heathen. 

This was a very pretty theory, and one 
which ought to have satisfied any reasona- 
ble inventor of geographical theories ; but 



206 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 62 

Columbus, warming with his work, pro- 
ceeded still further to embellish it. He 
maintained that the highest point of the 
earth was situated a short distance west of 
the coast of Paria, and that on its apex the 
Garden of Eden could be found. He ex- 
pressed the opinion that the Garden was 
substantially in the same condition as when 
Adam and Eve left it. Of course a few 
weeds might have sprung up in the 
neglected flower-beds, but Columbus was 
confident that the original tree of the 
knowledge of good and evil, and the con- 
versationally disposed animals, were all to 
be found in their accustomed places. As 
for the angel with the two-edged sword, 
who had been doing sentry duty at the 
gate for several thousand years, there could 
be no doubt that should an explorer pre- 
sent to him a written pass signed by the 
Pope, the angel w^ould instantly admit him 
into the Garden. 

Columbus now felt that, whatever fail- 
ures might seem to characterize his new 
exploring expedition, he had forever se- 



1498] HIS THIRD EXPEDITION, 20/ 

cured the gratitude and admiration of the 
pious Queen. To have almost discovered 
the Garden of Eden in a nearly perfect 
state of repair was certainly more satisfac- 
tory than the discovery of any amount of 
gold would have been. Still, he thought 
it could do no harm to mention in his let- 
ter to the Queen that pearls of enormous 
value abounded on the coast, and that the 
land was fertile, full of excellent trees and 
desirable fruits, and populous with parrots 
of most correct conversational habits, and 
monkeys of unusual moral worth and comic 
genius. 

Although Columbus failed to visit the 
Garden of Eden, either because he had no 
pass from the Pope or because he could 
not spare the time, it must not be imagin- 
ed that he did not believe his new and sur- 
prising theory. In those happy days men 
had a capacity for belief which they have 
since totally lost, and Columbus himself 
was probably capable of honestly believing 
even wilder theories than the one which 
gave to the earth the shape of a pear and 



208 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^Et. 62 

perched the Garden on the top of an ima- 
ginary South American mountain. 

As the provisions were getting low, and 
the Admiral's fever was getting high — not 
to speak of his gout, which manifested a ten- 
dency to rise to his stomach — he resolved 
to cease exploring for a time, and to sail 
for Hispaniola. He arrived there on the 
19th of August, after discovering and nam- 
ing a quantity of new islands. The cur- 
rents had drifted him so far out of his 
course, that he reached the coast of His- 
paniola a hundred and fifty miles west of 
Ozima, his port of destination. Sending 
an Indian messenger to warn Bartholomew 
of his approach, he sailed for Ozima, where 
he arrived on the 30th of August, looking 
as worn out and haggard as if he had been 
engaged in a prolonged pleasure-trip to the 
Fishing Banks. 

Don Bartholomew received his brother 
with the utmost joy, and proceeded to 
make him happy by telling him how badly 
affairs had gone during his absence. Bar- 
tholomew had followed the Admiral's 



1498] HIS THIRD EXPEDITION. 209 

orders, and had proved himself a gallant 
and able commander. He had built a fort 
and founded a city at the mouth of the 
Ozima, which is now known as San Do- 
mingo. Leaving Don Diego Columbus 
in command of the colony, he had marched 
to Xaragua, the western part of the island, 
and induced the Cacique Behechio and his 
sister Anacaona, the widow of Caonabo, to 
acknowledge the Spanish rule and to pay 
tribute. He had also crushed a conspiracy 
of the natives, which was due chiefly to the 
burning of several Indians at the stake who 
had committed sacrilege by destroying a 
chapel. These were the first Indians who 
were burnt for religious purposes, and it is 
a pity that Father Boyle had not remained 
in Hispaniola long enough to witness the 
ceremony which he had so often vainly 
urged the Admiral to permit him to per- 
form. Probably Don Bartholomew was 
not responsible for the burning of the 
savages, for he evidently sympathized 
with the revolted natives, and suppressed 
the conspiracy with hardly any bloodshed. 



2IO CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. \J£x. 62 

The colonists, both old and new, were 
of course always discontented, and cordi- 
ally disliked the two brothers of the Ad- 
miral. The chief judge of the colony, 
Francisco Roldan, undertook to over- 
throw the authority of the Adelentado, and 
to make himself the ruler of the island. 
After much preliminary rioting and strong 
language Roldan openly rebelled, and with 
his followers besieged Don Bartholomew 
in Fort Concepcion, in which he had taken 
refuge, and from which he did not dare to 
sally, not feeling any confidence in his men. 
Roldan was unable to capture the fort, 
but he instigated the natives to throw off 
Bartholomew's authorfty, and convinced 
them that he, and not the Adelentado, 
was their real friend. 

The opportune arrival of the two supply 
ships, which sailed from Spain while Co- 
lumbus was fitting out his third expedition, 
probably saved the authority and the life 
of Don Bartholomew. He immediately 
left the fort and, going to San Domingo, 
took command of the newly arrived troops, 



1498-1500] HIS THIRD EXPEDITION. 211 

and proclaimed Roldan a traitor, which 
greatly relieved his mind. The traitor 
thereupon marched with his men to Xara- 
gua, where they led a simple and happy 
life of vice and immorality. The discord 
among the Spaniards induced the natives 
to make another attempt to gain their 
liberty, but the Adelentado, in a brilliant 
campaign, once more reduced them to 
subjection. Two native insurrections, a 
Spanish rebellion, and unusual discontent 
were thus the chief features of the pleasant 
story with which Columbus was welcomed 
to Hispaniola. 

Before he could take any active measures 
against Roldan, except to issue a proclama- 
tion expressly confirming Don Bartholo- 
mew's assertion that he was a traitor, the 
three ships which he had sent direct to 
Hispaniola when he divided his fleet at 
the Cape Verde Islands, arrived off the 
coast of Xaragua, and perceiving Spaniards 
on the shore, imagined that they were 
respectable colonists. Roldan fostered 
that delusion until he had obtained arms 



212 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 62-64 

and supplies, when he admitted that from 
the hohest motives he had rebelled against 
the tyranny of the Adelentado. 

The men of the fleet, learning that Rol- 
dan's followers were a set of reckless 
scoundrels, were inclined to think that 
perhaps transportation was not such a 
terrible affair after all, and began to de- 
sert with great alacrity, and to join the 
rebels. The ships therefore put to sea, 
and their commander, on arriving at San 
Domingo, informed Columbus that Rol- 
dan would probably surrender if it was 
made an object to him to do so. 

The Admiral was anxious to march on 
Xaragua, capture Roldan, and make an 
example of him ; but his unpopularity and 
that of his brothers was so great that he 
did not dare to risk leaving San Domingo, 
lest it should rebel as soon as his back was 
turned. In order to rid himself of some 
of the malcontents, he fitted out five ves- 
sels, and offered a free passage to Spain 
to every one who wished to return. The 
ships sailed, carrying letters from both 



1498-1500] HIS THIRD EXPEDITION. 213 

Columbus and Roldan, in which each 
described the other in uncomplimentary 
terms. 

Columbus would now have marched 
against Roldan, but he could not find 
more than seventy men who felt well 
enough to march with him. The rest said 
they had headaches, or had sprained their 
ankles, and really must be excused. There 
was nothing left to do but to negotiate 
with the rebel leader, and compromise 
matters. Columbus began by offering a 
free pardon to Roldan if he would imme- 
diately surrender. Roldan, in his turn, 
offered to pardon Columbus if he would 
agree to certain conditions. These nego- 
tiations were continued for a long time, 
and after various failures the Admiral suc- 
ceeded in obtaining a compromise. He 
agreed to reappoint Roldan Chief Judge 
of the colony ; to grant him a certificate 
that all the charges which had been made 
against him were malicious lies ; to give 
him and his followers back pay, slaves, 
and compensation for their property which 



2 14 CHRIS TOP HER COL UMB US. [JEu 62-64 

had been destroyed ; to send back to Spain 
such of the rebels as might wish to return, 
and to give the remainder large grants of 
land. On these conditions Roldan agreed 
to overlook what had passed and to rejoin 
the colony. This successful compromise 
served years afterwards as a model for 
Northern Americans when dealing with 
their dissatisfied brethren, and entitles Co- 
lumbus to the honor of being the first 
great American compromiser. 

Having thus settled the dispute, the 
Admiral wrote to Spain, explaining that 
the conditions to which he had agreed had 
been extorted by force and were therefore 
not binding, and that on Roldan's massive 
cheek deserved to be branded the legend 
Fraud first triumphant i7i American 
Histoiy. He asked that a commissioner 
should be sent out to arrest and punish 
the rebel chief, and to take the place of 
Chief Judge now fraudulently held by 
Roldan. 

There is of course no doubt that Co- 
lumbus would have hung Roldan with 



1498-1500] HIS THIRD EXPEDITION. 21$ 

great pleasure had he been able to do so. 
He was compelled by force of circum- 
stances to yield to all the rebel's demands, 
but nevertheless it was hardly fair for him 
to claim that his acts and promises were 
not binding. Still, it should be remem- 
bered that he was suffering from malarial 
fever, and it is notorious that even the 
best of men will tell lies without remorse 
if they live in a malarious region and have 
houses for sale or to let. 

The Admiral, having thus restored or- 
der, was about to return to Spain to ex- 
plain more fully his conduct and that of 
Don Bartholomew, when he heard that 
four ships commanded by Alonzo de 
Ojeda had arrived at Xaragua. He im- 
mediately suspected that something was 
wrong, and that in Ojeda he would have 
a new and utterly unscrupulous enemy to 
deal with. Foreseeing that an emergency 
was about to occur in which a skilful 
scoundrel might be of great assistance to 
him, he gave Roldan the command of two 
ships, and sent him to ascertain what 



2l6 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 62-64 

Ojeda intended to do. The wily Roldan 
anchored just out of sight of Ojeda's fleet, 
while the latter, with fifteen men only, 
was on shore. Landing with a strong 
force, and placing himself between Ojeda 
and his ships, he waited for the latter to 
meet him and explain matters. 

Ojeda soon appeared, and was delighted 
to see a gentleman of whom he had heard 
such favorable reports. He said he was 
on his way to San Domingo, and had 
merely landed for supplies. He had been 
authorized to make discoveries by Fon- 
seca, the Secretary of Indian Affairs, and 
his expedition had been fitted out with 
the assistance of Amerigo Vespucci and 
other enterprising merchants. He had 
been cruising in the Gulf of Paria, and 
had his ships loaded with slaves. As soon 
as he could he intended to visit Columbus, 
who, he regretted to say, was probably 
the most unpopular man in Spain, and 
would soon be removed from his com- 
mand. Roldan returned to San Domingo 
with this information, and both he and the 



1498-1500] HIS THIRD expedition: 217 

Admiral agreed that they did not believe 
anything that Ojeda had said. 

Meanwhile Ojeda, having met with 
many of Roldan's former adherents, who 
still lingered in Xaragua, was informed by 
them that Columbus had not given them 
their back pay. Ojeda said that such in- 
justice made his blood boil, and that if 
they would join him he would march to 
San Domingo and put an end to the base 
Italian tyrant. The new rebellion was 
prevented by the arrival of Roldan with 
a respectable array of troops, and Ojeda 
promptly went on board his flag-ship. 
Roldan wrote to him asking for an inter- 
view, and reminding him that rebellion 
was a crime which every good man ought 
to abhor. Ojeda, replied that such was 
precisely his opinion, and he must refuse 
to have anything to do with a man who 
had lately been a rebel. 

Soon afterward Ojeda sailed away in 
a northerly direction, keeping near the 
shore, and Roldan marched along the 
coast to intercept him in case he should 



2l8 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 62-64 

land. Arriving at a place called by the 
natives Cahay, Ojeda sent a boat ashore, 
which was captured by Roldan, and in 
order to regain it he was finally forced to 
consent to parley with his antagonist. 
The result was that Ojeda promised to 
sail immediately for Spain. Having made 
this promise he naturally landed soon after 
on another part of the island, but being 
followed by Roldan he finally abandoned 
Hispaniola and sailed for Cadiz with his 
cargo of slaves. 

The Admiral was greatly pleased at this 
signal illustration of the wisdom of the 
proverb about setting a rogue to catch a 
rogue, and writing Roldan a compliment- 
ary letter, requested him to remain for a 
little while in Xaragua. 

While Ojeda's ships were at Xaragua, 
Columbus had passed sentence of banish- 
ment on Hernando de Guevara, a disso- 
lute young Spaniard, and sent him to 
embark on board one of Ojeda's vessels. 
He arrived at Xaragua after the ships had 
left, and Roldan ordered him to go into 



1498-1500] HIS THIRD EXPEDITION. 219 

banishment at Cahay. Guevara, however, 
had fallen m love with an Indian maid, tha 
daughter of Anacaona, and wanted to re- 
main in Xaragua and marry her. Roldan 
would not Hsten to him, and the unhappy 
youth went to Cahay, where he stayed 
three days and then returned. There was 
a spirited quarrel between him and Rol- 
dan, and the latter finally yielded and 
allowed Guevara to remain. 

The grateful young man immediately 
conspired against Roldan and the Admiral. 
He had a cousin, De Mexica, a former 
associate of Roldan's in rebellion, who im- 
mediately took up the cause of the exile. 
De Mexica soon convinced his ex-rebel 
friends that the spectacle of Roldan, as 
an upright, law-abiding man, was simply 
revolting, and that he and Columbus 
ought to be killed. He had gathered a 
small force together, when he and his 
chief associates were suddenly surprised 
by the Admiral, arrested, tried, and hanged 
before they had time to realize that any- 
thing was the matter. 



220 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 62-64 

Don Bartholomew was dispatched to 
Xaragua to aid Roldan, and the two, after 
arresting Guevara, stamped out the new 
rebellion with remorseless energy. This 
time there was no compromise, and a sus- 
picion began to prevail that rebellion was 
not so safe and profitable an industry as it 
had been hitherto. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

HIS RETURN IN DISGRACE. 

ON the 23d of August, 1500, two ships 
arrived at San Domingo, commanded 
by Don Francisco de Bobadilla, who had 
been sent out by the Spanish monarchs as 
a commissioner to investigate the state of 
the colony. The enemies of Columbus 
had at last succeeded in prejudicing Ferdi- 
nand and Isabella against him. Ojeda, the 
returned colonists, Roldan's rebels, and 
the letters of Roldan himself, all agreed in 
representing the Admiral as a new kind of 
fiend, with Italian improvements, for whom 
no punishment could be sufficiently severe. 
Ferdinand calculated the total amount 
of gold which Columbus had either carried 
or sent to Spain, and, finding it smaller 
than he had expected, could no longer con- 
ceal his conviction that Columbus was a 
cruel, tyrannical, and wicked man. Isabella 



222 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 64 

had hitherto believed in the Admiral, and 
had steadily stood by him while under fire, 
but in face of the evidence which had lat- 
terly been submitted to her, and in view of 
the cargo of slaves that had been sent from 
Hispaniola to Spain in spite of her orders, 
she was compelled to admit that an inves- 
tigation should be made, and sanctioned 
the appointment of Bobadilla, with the 
understanding that he would let no guilty 
man escape. 

The average historian is always very in- 
dignant with the monarchs for sending 
Bobadilla to San Domingo, and regards 
that act as a wanton persecution of a great 
and good man. But the cold and scepti- 
cal inquirer will ask how it happened that 
every person who came under the Admi- 
ral's authority, with the exception of his 
tw^o brothers, invariably made complaints 
against him. It is true that the majority 
of the colonists were men whose word was 
unworthy of credit, but had Columbus 
been a just and able ruler, surely some one 
outside of his own family would have 



I500] HIS RETURN IN DISGRACE. 223 

spoken favorably of him. We need not 
suppose that he was responsible for the 
chills and fever which harassed the colo- 
nists, or that he originated all the hurri- 
canes and earthquakes that visited the 
island ; but there is sufficient reason to be- 
lieve that he was not well fitted to win the 
obedience or respect of the colonists, and 
in the circumstances we may restrain our 
indignation at the appointment of the in- 
vestigating commissioner. 

Ferdinand and Isabella evidently had 
cofidence in the judgment and integrity of 
Bobadilla, for they gave him three or four 
different commissions, with authority to 
use any or all of them, as he might see fit. 
As the event proved, he was unworthy of 
this confidence ; but it would not be fair to 
accuse the monarchs of deliberate cruelty 
because they overrated their commissioner's 
intelligence. 

Bobadilla arrived at San Domingo just 
after the suppression of Mexica's rebellion, 
and while Columbus was still absent at 
Fort Concepcion. As he entered the river 



224 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 64 

he saw two gibbets decorated with rebel 
corpses, and the sight was not adapted to 
remove the impression, which he undoubt- 
edly had, that Columbus was cruel and 
tyrannical. 

His first act was to publish a proclama- 
tion that he had come to redress griev- 
ances, and that every one in San Domingo 
who had any cause of complaint against 
Columbus or his brothers should at once 
speak out, or ever after hold his peace. 
The entire population, with the solitary 
exception of those who were locked up in 
jail, at once hastened to Bobadilla and told 
their grievances. 

The commissioner, appalled at the flood 
of accusation w^hich he had set loose, 
strengthened his mind by attending mass, 
and then caused his commission appoint- 
ing him to inquire into the late rebellion 
to be read. This having been done, he 
demanded that Don Diego Columbus, who 
was in command of San Domingo, should 
surrender to him Guevara and the other 
rebel prisoners. Don Diego said that he 



I500J HIS RETURN IN DISGRACE. 225 

held the prisoners subject to the Admiral's 
order, and must therefore decline to sur- 
render them. Bobadilla next produced a 
second commission appointing him Gov- 
ernor of the New World, and remarked 
that perhaps Don Diego would now con- 
descend to give up the prisoners. Don 
Diego conceded that the commission was 
a very pretty one, especially in point of 
seals and ribands, but maintained that his 
brother had a better one, and that, on the 
whole, he must decline to recognize Boba- 
dilla as Governor. Exasperated by this 
obstinacy, Bobadilla now produced a third 
commission, ordering the Admiral and his 
brothers to surrender all the forts, public 
buildings, and public property to him, and 
forcibly argued that since Guevara was in a 
fort, the surrender of the fort would include 
the surrender of Guevara, in accordance 
with the axiom that the greater includes the 
less. Don Diego calmly insisted that this 
was not a case in which mathematics were 
concerned, and that he proposed to obey 
the Admiral's orders, no matter if Bobadilla 



226 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 64 

should keep on producing new commis- 
sions at the rate of sixty a minute for the 
rest of his natural life. 

Bobadilla, finding that Don Diego's ob- 
stinacy was proof against everything, went 
to the fort and called on the commander 
to give up his prisoners, and when the 
commander refused, broke into the fort, at 
the head of the delighted colonists, and 
seized on Guevara and his rebel compan- 
ions. He then took possession of all the 
property and private papers belonging to 
the Admiral, and, moving into his house, 
proceeded to assume the duties of Gover- 
nor and investigator. 

Columbus, when he heard of these pro- 
ceedings, was somewhat astonished, and 
remarked to his friends that he feared this 
Bobadilla was a little rash and impolitic. 
He wrote to him, welcoming him to the 
island, and suggesting that it would be well 
if he were to draw it mild — or words to 
that effect. In reply, Bobadilla sent him 
an order to appear before him at once, and 
enclosed a letter from the sovereigns, or- 



1500] HIS RETURN IN DISGRACE. 22/ 

dering Columbus to obey the combined 
Governor and Commissioner in all things. 
Being wholly without means of resistance, 
Columbus perceived that magnanimity was 
what posterity would expect of him, and 
therefore immediately went to San Do- 
mingo and presented himself before Boba- 
dilla. 

That amiable and delicate person re- 
ceived the Admiral as if he were an Italian 
brigand for whom a reward of $25,000 had 
been offered, and ordered him and his 
brother, Don Diego, to be put in irons, 
As a striking instance of the irony of fate, 
it may be mentioned that the man who 
placed the irons on Columbus was his 
former cook, whose self-respect had often 
been wounded when his master complained 
that the maccaroni was burned or that the 
roast pork was insufficiently cooked. Now 
the cook had his revenge, and we can 
imagine with what zest he remarked, after 
the fetters were riveted, that he hoped 
that for once the Admiral would admit that 
the job was well done, and would notice 



228 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 64 

the rare pleasure with which his ex-cook 
had performed it, whatever might have 
been that humble but honest individual's 
previous sins in respect to pork and mac- 
caroni. Undoubtedly he said something 
of the kind, for a man who could put 
chains on Columbus was surely bad 
enough to make puns without shame 01 
remorse. At the command of Bobadilla, 
Columbus wrote to Don Bartholomew, 
who was in Xaragua, inviting him to come 
and share the fetters of his illustrious 
brother and the well-meaning Don Diego 
— which the Adelentado accordingly did. 

Having the entire Columbus family thus 
safely in his power, Bobadilla proceeded 
to take testimony against them, with all 
the enthusiasm of a partisan Senate com- 
mittee preparing material for a Presiden- 
tial campaign. There was no lack of tes- 
timony. The colonists made affidavits 
with a wealth of imagination and fervency 
of zeal which a professional detective em- 
ployed to furnish evidence in an Indiana 
divorce case might emulate but could not 



i5oo] HIS RETURN IN DISGRACE. 22g 

surpass. Columbus was accused of nearly 
all modern and ancient crimes, from steal- 
ing pearls and gold-dust up to the crown- 
ing infamy of requiring Spanish gentlemen 
to work. It was conclusively shown that 
he was the worst man then living, with the 
possible exception of the Adelentado, and 
that Guevara and the other rebels were 
patent, direct-acting saints, who deserved 
every possible honor. Having made up 
an effective campaign document from this 
mass of brilliant testimony, Bobadilla sent 
it, together with Columbus and his two 
brothers, to Spain. 

Don Alonzo de Villejo, who com- 
manded the vessel on board of which was 
the fallen Admiral, was a gallant sailor, 
and, as soon as the ship was safely out of 
the harbor, said, in the strongest seafar- 
ing language, that he would consent to 
the immediate condemnation of his per- 
sonal eyes if the Admiral should wear 
those doubly condemned chains another 
moment. But Columbus courteously and 
firmly refused to be liberated. He said 



230 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 64 

the chains had been put on him by order 
of the King and Queen, and that the King 
and Queen would have to take them off, 
or he would wear them to his dying day, 
and serve them right. This was a stout- 
hearted resolution, but, perhaps just to 
gratify Villejo, Columbus consented now 
and then to slip one wrist out of his fetters, 
which he must have found very inconve- 
nient when he was engaged in writing 
letters. 

The voyage was uneventful, and in the 
early part of October the ship reached 
Cadiz and Columbus was delivered to the 
local authorities. The moment it was 
known that he had been brought home in 
irons he became immensely popular, as 
indeed the man who made so unexpected 
and brilliant a sensation deserved to be. 
Everybody said it was an outrage, and that 
Bobabilla was clearly the beast spoken of 
in the Apocalypse. 

Columbus did not venture to write to 
the Queen, but he wrote a long and elo- 
quent account of his bad treatment to one 



i5oo] HIS RETURN IN DISGRACE. 23 1 

of the ladies of the court, who he knew 
would instantly read it to Isabella. That 
estimable sovereign was greatly shocked, 
and Ferdinand felt that, as a prudent hus- 
band, he must share his wife's indignation. 
The royal pair immediately wrote a letter 
expressing the warmest sympathy for Co- 
lumbus, inviting him to court, and en- 
closing a check for nearly $8500 to pay 
his travelling expenses and enable him to 
buy a few clean collars and other neces- 
saries. 

The Admiral, taking off his chains and 
putting them in his trunk as souvenirs of 
royal favor, went to Granada, where the 
court was then held, and being admitted 
to the royal presence fell at the feet of 
Isabella, which he appears to have care- 
fully distinguished from Ferdinand's feet, 
and burst into tears. The monarchs per- 
sonally raised him up, in spite of his 
weight, and Isabella told him it was a per- 
fect shame, and that Bobadilla's conduct 
was quite too awfully horrid. Ferdinand 
behaved very properly, and agreed with 



232 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^Et. 64 

Isabella that all the rights and honors of 
Columbus should be restored to him, and 
that he could feel perfectly easy as to the 
future. Bobadilla's elaborate campaign 
document was tossed aside with as little 
attention as if it had been a Patent Ofhce 
Report, and his attempt to fire the royal 
Spanish heart was a complete failure. 

Columbus now expected that he would 
be directed to return immediately to San 
Domingo, and to send Bobadilla home in 
disgrace ; but the monarchs delayed to 
issue the desired orders. Ferdinand had 
evidently made up his mind to do nothing 
of the sort. He considered himself a deeply 
injured king. In the confident expecta- 
tion that Columbus would be drowned, he 
had consented to grant him unprecedented 
honors and privileges, in the improbable 
contingency of the discovery of a new 
road to Asia or a new continent. Co- 
lumbus had meanly taken advantage of 
this to discover a continent and innumer- 
able islands, and had, as Ferdinand felt, 
cheated him out of a splendid title and a 



1500-2] HIS RETURN IN DISGRACE. 233 

handsome revenue. Now that Columbus 
had temporarily lost these ill-gotten ad- 
vantages, Ferdinand did not think it neces- 
sary to restore them. He therefore in- 
formed the Admiral that it would be best 
for him to remain in Spain for, say, ten 
years, until things could be made pleasant 
for him in Hispaniola. In the mean time 
Don Nicholas de Ovando would be sent 
out to supersede Bobadilla nd to ascer- 
tain what damages Columbus and his 
brothers had sustained, so that full pay- 
ment could be made. He assured the 
Admiral that everything should be ar- 
ranged to his satisfaction, and that he 
should lose nothing by remaining in Spain. 
There is no reason to suppose that Co- 
lumbus was deceived by the King's attenu- 
ated explanation, but he could not well 
find fault with it. De Ovando sailed for 
San Domingo with a fleet of thirty vessels 
and twenty-five hundred men. Columbus 
took lodgings in Granada, and to employ 
his time resolved to attend to the little 
matter of recovering the Holy Sepulchre, 



234 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, [^t. 64-66 

a duty which he had long neglected and 
had recently bequeathed to his son. He 
drew up a long memorial, urging the King 
and Queen to organize a new crusade for 
the capture of Jerusalem. He demonstra- 
ted to his own satisfaction that he had 
been born in order to discover a new 
world and to redeem the Holy Sepulchre. 
He had fulfilled the first of these duties, 
and was now ready for the second. All 
that he required was an army and a suffi- 
cient supply of money. 

Ferdinand did not embrace the sugges- 
tion with much enthusiasm. He said he 
would see about it, and hinted that as 
crusading was an expensive business, it 
might be well to ascertain whether the 
Sultan would be wilhng to look at the 
matter from a business point of view and 
make some arrangement in regard to the 
Holy Sepulchre which would settle the 
matter in an amicable and inexpensive 
way. 

The crusading scheme being a failure, 
the Admiral devised a new plan of explo- 



I500-2] HIS RETURN IN DISGRACE, 235 

ration. He wrote another memorial, set- 
ting forth the advantages of discovering 
the Panama Canal. He admitted that 
either China had been moved, or else it 
lay farther west of Spain than he had at 
first supposed. At any rate, it had become 
clear to his mind that there was a conti- 
nent which blocked up the direct route to 
China, and that the only way to get 
through this obstacle was to discover a 
canal a niveau, cutting the Isthmus of 
Panama. He had not the least doubt 
that the canal was there, and that he could 
find it with perfect ease were he to be 
supplied with ships and men, and were a 
proper reward to be offered for its dis- 
covery. Now that he had time for re- 
flection, he was inclined to think the 
market had latterly been overstocked with 
new countries — a result which he had feared 
when the sovereigns so injudiciously — if 
he might be allowed the expression — gave 
to everybody the privilege of exploration. 
In regard to the Panama Canal, however, 
he was confident that it would meet a 



236 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 64-66 

great public want, and that its discovery 
would be warmly applauded by everybody, 
with the possible exception of the inhabi- 
tants of Bohemia, who, although they had 
no commerce, might insist that the canal 
should not be discovered unless the dis- 
coverer would agree to present it to them. 
The plan pleased Ferdinand and Isa- 
bella. A fleet of four ships was or- 
dered to be made ready, and Columbus 
was authorized to take with him his 
brother Don Bartholomew and his per- 
sonal son, Diego. The monarchs also 
wrote Columbus a letter, in which they 
said many pleasant and inexpensive things, 
and promised him the restoration of all his 
rights. He was now so enfeebled by age 
and hardship that it seemed safe to promise 
him anything, provided the promises were 
not to be fulfilled until after his return 
from his intended voyage. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

HIS FOURTH EXPEDITION. 

ON the 9th of May, 1502, Columbus 
once more sailed from Cadiz. The 
passage across the Atlantic was in no way 
remarkable. The fleet touched as usual 
at the Canaries, and on the 15th of June 
arrived at one of the smaller Caribbean 
islands. Columbus had been strictly for- 
bidden to touch at San Domingo, be- 
cause it was feared that he would get into 
trouble with the local authorities, and 
would then come back to Spain to defend 
himself against false accusations. How- 
ever, as one of his ships was unseaworthy, 
he convinced himself that it was a matter 
of necessity and mercy for him to go to 
San Domingo and obtain a better vessel. 

He arrived in due time at the forbidden 
port, but Ovando refused to permit him 
to land, and ordered him to put to sea 



238 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^Et. 66 

immediately. Columbus then informed 
Ovando that a hurricane was approach- 
ing, and begged permission to lie at 
anchor in the shelter of the harbor until 
fair weather should appear ; but his peti- 
tion was refused. Ovando said there was 
not the least sign of an approaching hur- 
ricane, and that he was a bird far too 
advanced in years to be caught by the 
Admiral's meteorological chafif. 

There was at the time a large fleet of 
vessels lying in the harbor, and on the 
point of saihng for Spain. On board of 
the fleet were Roldan, Bobadilla, many 
discontented colonists, and a large quan- 
tity of gold. Now Columbus, who was 
learned in weather, was in earnest when 
he prophesied a hurricane, and he felt sad 
in view of the danger which threatened 
the gold on board the fleet in case the 
ships should put to sea before the hurri- 
cane arrived. He warned Ovando not 
to let the fleet depart, but Ovando and 
everybody else laughed to scorn '' Old 
Italian Probabilities," and mocked at his 



1502] HIS FOURTH EXPEDITION. 239 

areas of barometrical depression and ap- 
proaching storm-centres. 

Columbus sailed away and sought shel- 
ter under the lee of the island, and the fleet 
with Bobadilla and the gold put to sea. 
Two days later a hurricane that the Nev^' 
York Herald would have been proud tc 
launch against the shores of Great Britaii^ 
wrecked the fleet, drowned Bobadilla and 
Roldan, and sunk the gold to the bottom 
of the sea. A few vessels managed to 
work their way back to San Domingo, 
but only one reached Spain. The fortu- 
nate vessel had on board a quantity of 
gold belonging to Columbus, and in his 
opinion this fact was all that saved her. 

The Admiral's vessels rode out the 
storm safely, though they were much 
damaged, and, after it was over, put into 
Port Hermoso to refit. Having patched 
up the vessels, Columbus set sail for the 
Panama Canal, and after a voyage of 
about six weeks he reached a group of 
small islands on the coast of Honduras. 
Here he met a large canoe filled with the 



240 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 66 

ablest natives he had yet seen. They had 
hatchets and other tools made of copper, 
and were dressed in cotton garments 
woven by themselves. They were proba- 
bly from Yucatan, for they claimed to 
belong to a civilized country situated 
farther west and possessing magnificent 
cities. The Admiral said he was not 
looking for cities as much as he had been, 
that he was on his way to India, and that 
he had no time to go to Yucatan. Thus 
he lost the chance of discovering the curi- 
ous and fantastic Maya and Aztec civili- 
zation which Cortez afterward found and 
destroyed. 

There was little in the early part of 
the Admiral's voyage along the Central 
American coast which deserves especial 
notice. He coasted Honduras and Costa 
Rica, finding an oppressive sameness of 
savages and bad weather. The savages 
were peaceful, but the weather was not. 
It rarely condescended to indulge in any- 
thing less violent than a hurricane, and 
always blew from precisely the direction 



I502] HIS FOURTH EXPEDITION. . 24 1 

in which the Spaniards wished to steer. 
The Costa Rican savages told Columbus 
that the Ganges was a few days' journey 
farther west, and that vessels carrying can- 
nons frequently came to the large city of 
Ciguari, which was still nearer than the 
Ganges. 

This was, on the whole, the most able 
and satisfactory aboriginal lie which had 
yet been told to Columbus, and it made 
him confident that he would arrive in India 
in a few days. Lest the savages should 
receive too much credit for inventive gen- 
ius, it should be mentioned that they must 
have been greatly assisted by leading ques- 
tions put by the Spaniards, otherwise they 
could not have hit upon the name of the 
Ganges. The mention of the ships armed 
with cannon which came to the mythical 
city of Ciguari was, however, a master- 
stroke for which the natives are entitled to 
full credit. Travellers who have visited 
Central America in our day would per- 
haps find it easier to understand the habits 
and customs of the people, were it gener- 



242 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 66 

ally known that their remote Indian an- 
cestors were likewise men of brilliant 
imagination and utter fearlessness of as- 
sertion. 

Leaving these mendacious but encour- 
aging savages, Columbus came to Veragua, 
a country lying farther south and really 
abounding in gold. But now that he had 
finally reached a place where gold was 
abundant, the precious metal for which 
Columbus had searched so long and ea- 
gerly seemed to have lost its charm. He 
was too anxious to reach the Ganges to 
be willing to stop for anything ; so, after 
laying in a few gold plates, he stood on 
his southward course. 

The ships and the Admiral were by this 
time greatly in want of repairs. Colum- 
bus was suffering from gout, fever, and old 
age, while the ships, in addition to the lat- 
ter complaint, were leaky and covered 
with barnacles. The crews began to grum- 
ble loudly, and on the 5th of December, 
Columbus having failed to find the Gan- 
ges, the city of Ciguari, or the Panama 



1503] HIS FOURTH EXPEDITION. 243 

Ship-Canal, thought it best to yield to the 
force of public opinion before it should 
express itself with handspikes and knives. 
He therefore consented to abandon his 
search and turn back to Veragua, where he 
hoped to be able to collect enough gold to 
convince Ferdinand and Isabella of his 
wisdom in postponing his intended geo- 
graphical discoveries. 

No sooner had the ships turned and 
stood to the northward, than the wind, with 
a vicious display of ill-temper, shifted and 
became once more a head-wind. It blew 
if anything harder from its new quarter 
than it had blown before, and it was not 
until early in January that the fleet reached 
Veragua and anchored in the river Belen. 

The sailors were glad to go ashore ; for, 
though there was nothing to drink, there 
was gold to be got, and while on shore 
they were rid of the task of sailing clumsy 
and leaking ships. The Admiral, in his 
feeble health, was greatly in need of rest, 
and he was not aware that he had found 
precisely the worst locality in the Western 



244 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 67 

Hemisphere for fever and mosquitoes. 
The Adelentado was sent with a large 
force to explore the surrounding country, 
from which he returned with the report 
that the natives had a great deal of gold 
in their possession. Of course the Span- 
ish soldiers merely looked at this gold, and 
complimented the natives on their posses- 
sion of so valuable an article ; we need not 
suppose they were so wicked as to steal 
it, and thus convert the friendly Costa Ri- 
cans into enemies. 

Being satisfied with the Adelentado's re- 
port, Columbus decided to leave most of 
his men to found a colony on the banks of 
the Belen, while he should return to Spain 
for supplies. 

The natives had hitherto been peaceable ; 
but when they saw the Spaniards building 
houses on their land, they felt that it was 
time to take proceedings for dispossession. 
Columbus received information that the 
local cacique, Quibian, was collecting an 
army to attack the colony, and he sent 
Diego Mendez to investigate the matter. 



1503] HIS FOURTH expedition: 245 

Quibian's village was on the river Vera- 
gua, not far from the Belen, and Mendez 
soon found his way thither. He was told 
that the cacique was confined to his house 
with a wounded leg. Mendez immediately 
said that he was a doctor, and would re- 
pair the leg ; but Quibian's son said, Oh 
no, he rather thought Mendez would not 
repair that particular leg just then. As 
the savage followed up this remark by 
hitting Mendez over the head, the latter 
admitted that perhaps he was mistaken, 
and hurriedly remembered • that he had an 
engagement which would require his im- 
mediate return to the colony. 

There was now no doubt that Quibian 
intended to fight, and the Adelentado, 
remarking that a cacique in the hand was 
better than several in the bush, proposed to 
go in person and capture Quibian. Taking 
seventy-four men with him, Don Bartholo- 
mew managed to obtain an interview with 
the cacique, whom he instantly seized and 
bound. The natives offered no resistance, 
and the Adelentado, gathering up the wives 



246 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^Et. 67 

and children of Quibian, prepared to re- 
turn. 

The cacique was laid in the bottom of a 
boat, and pretended to suffer so much pain 
that the officer in charge of the boat 
loosened his bonds. Quibian thereupon 
jumped overboard and, as it was now night, 
escaped safely to land; while the Span- 
iards believed that he had been drowned. 

The danger of an attack by the savages 
being thus, in the opinion of the Admiral, 
at an end, he prepared to depart for Spain. 
The water on the bar at the mouth of the 
river was so low that the ships could not 
pass over it without being lightened. 
Their stores were therefore disembarked, 
and after getting into deep water the ships 
were anchored and the stores were brought 
back to them in boats. 

When the fleet was nearly ready to sail, 
Columbus sent Diego Tristan and eleven 
men ashore to obtain water. As they 
neared the settlement, they saw a horde of 
savages rush out of the jungle and attack 
the colonists. The savages were led by 



1503] HIS FOURTH EXPEDITION. 247 

Quibian, who, being a heathen and a bar- 
barian, imagined that he had more right to 
his wives and children than the Spaniards 
had. Tristan was an excellent old sailor, 
who held that it was the first duty of man 
to obey orders. He had been sent for 
water and not for blood, and accordingly 
he never thought of interfering in the 
fight, but rowed steadily up the river in 
search of fresh water. The Spaniards 
fought bravely, and repulsed the attack of 
the natives ; but the latter, instead of appre- 
ciating Tristan's fidelity to duty, fell upon 
him and killed him and his whole party, 
with the exception of one man, who fled 
to the settlement with his sanguinary 
story. 

The Spaniards were now convinced that 
they had no more use for Central America, 
and rushed to the ship that lay in the river, 
determined to return to Spain with the 
Admiral. The ship, however, could not 
be got over the bar, and the terrified 
colonists consented to listen to the Ade- 
lentado's advice, and to attempt to fortify 



248 ' CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 67 

the settlement. They went on shore 
again, and threw up barricades — which, as 
every one knows who is famihar with 
French pohtics, consist of boxes, paving- 
stones, omnibuses, news-stands, and other 
heterogeneous articles piled together. 

The barricades were better than nothing 
as defensive works, but they were misera- 
bly weak. Eleven Spaniards had been 
killed and several more wounded, in- 
cluding Don Bartholomew, and as the 
savages vastly outnumbered them, the 
prospect that any of the colonists would 
escape was extremely small. 

Columbus could not understand why 
Tristan did not return. He knew that 
Tristan was a faithful and obedient man, 
and that there was no rum to be had at 
the settlement, so that he finally began to 
fear that the natives had been acting in a dis- 
orderly way. This fear was increased by 
the conduct of Quibian's wives and chil- 
dren, who were on board one of the ves- 
sels. During the night after Tristan's 
departure these hasty and ill-bred prisoners 



1503] HIS FOURTH expedition: 249 

began to commit suicide by hanging them- 
selves or by jumping overboard, and con- 
tinued this recreation so persistently that 
by morning not one of them was left. If 
women and children could do such an un- 
civil thing as this, it was only too probable 
that the men of the same race were capable 
of creating riot and bloodshed ashore. 

There was only one available small boat 
at the commiand of the Admiral, and the 
sea on the bar was so heavy when the dis- 
appearance of the Quibian family was dis- 
covered that Columbus did not dare to 
send the boat ashore. Fortunately, one of 
the pilots, Pedro Ledesma, offered to swim 
ashore if the boat would carry him part of 
the way. His offer was of course accepted, 
and when the boat was a short distance 
from the shore Ledesma sprang overboard 
and successfully swam through the boiling 
surf. He returned in a short time, bring- 
ing the news that the colonists were in 
immediate danger of being massacred. 

Unless the sea should go down, Colum- 
bus could give no assistance to the men 



250 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 67 

on shore, and there was no prospect that 
the sea would go down. 

Most men in the position of the Admiral 
would have been at a loss what to do, but 
Columbus was a man of uncommon re- 
sources. He promptly had a vision. A 
voice spoke to him in the best Scriptural 
style, and assured him that everything was 
all right ; that the colonists would be saved, 
and that no one need feel any uneasiness. 
It is probable that this was the voice of a 
sainted and remote ancestor of the late 
William H. Seward, and it filled the Ad- 
miral with confidence — which confidence 
it is possible was shared by the sailors 
when the story of the vision was told to 
them. The voice proved to be a veracious 
one, for the next morning there was a dead 
calm, and the colonists, with all their por- 
table property, were safely rafted on board 
the ships, which immediately set sail for 
San Domingo in order to refit. 

It was now the end of April, but the 
weather declined to improve. Probably 
Columbus, like a skilful commander, made 



1503] HIS FOURTH EXPEDITION. 2$ I 

his men draw lots with a view to pilgrim- 
ages, and encouraged them to vow to at- 
tend church in their shirts ; but there is no 
mention of these manoeuvres in the Admi- 
ral's log. The ships were nearly eaten up 
by the teredo and could with difficulty be 
kept afloat. One was abandoned, and the 
crew taken on board the other two. These 
reached the islands lying south of Cuba 
which Columbus had discovered on his 
second voyage, where they were detained 
nearly a week by violent storms. When 
the voyage was resumed the head-winds 
promptly resumed also, and finally, with 
his ships leaking like sieves out of repair, 
and his provisions nearly exhausted, Co- 
lumbus bore up for Jamaica, which he 
reached on the 23d of June. The next 
day he entered the harbor of Port Santa 
Gloria, where his decrepit vessels were run 
ashore to keep them from sinking, and 
were firmly lashed together 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

HIS LAST YEARS. 

THE ships were now hopeless wrecks, 
and there was nothing more to be 
done with them except to abandon them 
to the underwriters and claim a total loss. 
The only chance that the Spaniards could 
avoid laying their bones in the bake-ovens 
of the Jamaican natives was in communi- 
cating with San Domingo, but in the 
absence of any efficient postal service this 
chance seemed very small. Diego Men- 
dez, who was the captain of one of the 
vessels, and who had earned the confidence 
of Columbus by the skill with which he 
superintended the escape of the beleagured 
colonists from Quibian's hordes, volun- 
teered to take a canoe and, with the hdp 
of Indian paddlers, make his way across 
the one hundred and twenty miles of sea 
which stretched between Jamaica and His- 



1503] HIS LAST YEARS. 253 

paniola. He started on his voyage, and 
skirted the shore of Jamaica, so that he 
could land from time to time and take in 
provisions. 

It struck the natives that they might as 
well improve the opportunity to lay in 
provisions for themselves, and accordingly 
they attacked Mendez with great energy 
and appetite, and made him and his Indian 
paddlers prisoners. There being in all 
seven prisoners, a dispute arose as to the 
fairest way of dividing them, and the sava- 
ges agreed to settle it by a game of chance 
— which was probably ''seven-up." Men- 
dez took advantage of the quarrelling to 
which the game gave rise, and ran away. 
At the end of a fortnight he appeared be- 
fore the Admiral and announced that all 
was lost except honor and his canoe. 

The bold Mendez was not disheartened, 
but volunteered to make a second attempt. 
This time he was joined by Fresco, the 
captain of the other wreck, together with 
twelve Spaniards and twenty Indians. The 
expedition started in two large canoes, and 



254 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 67 

the Adelentado, with an armed force, 
marched along the shore as far as the ex- 
treme eastern point of the island to pro- 
tect the canoes from any attack by the 
natives. Mendez and his companions suf- 
fered terribly from exposure and thirst, 
and many of the Indian paddlers died — a 
fact which shows either that the Spaniards 
could endure thirst better than the Indi- 
ans, or that the latter had less water to 
drink than the former. 

The expedition finally reached Hispani- 
ola, having formed a very low opinion of 
canoeing as an athletic sport. According 
to the original plan, Mendez was to induce 
Ovando to send a ship to Columbus, and 
Fresco was to return with the news that 
Mendez was at San Domingo, hard at 
work inducing the Governor to send the 
ship ; but as the surviving Indian paddlers 
said they were satiated with paddling and 
did not intend to return to Jamaica, 
Fresco was compelled to remain in His- 
paniola. 

Ovando, hearing that Columbus was in 



I503] HIS LAST YEARS. 25$ 

Jamaica, thought he had better stay there, 
and instead of sending a vessel to his re- 
hef, constantly promised to do so at the 
earliest possible moment, and constantly 
took good care that no such moment 
should arrive. 

Meanwhile the shipwrecked men were 
becoming very discontented. When a 
man has nothing to do but to think of 
what he is to have for dinner, and then 
never has it, he is reasonably sure to ex- 
hibit a fretful spirit. This was the con- 
dition of the Spaniards at Port Santa 
Gloria. They were living on board the 
wrecked vessels because they did not care 
to tempt the appetites of the natives by 
hving on shore ; and as the Admiral was 
confined to his cabin with the gout, and 
could not overhear them, they naturally 
relieved their minds by constantly abusing 
him, one to another. 

Francesco de Porras, who had been a 
captain of one of the ships — and it really 
seems as if there were as many captains in 
proportion to the size of the fleet as there 



256 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 67 

are in the United States navy — thought 
this was a favorable time for mutiny, and 
accordingly proceeded to mutiny. He 
reminded the men that Columbus was un- 
popular in Spain, and was forbidden to 
land in San Domingo. This being true, 
why should he ever leave Jamaica, where 
he had nothing to do except to lie in his 
cabin and enjoy the pleasures of gout ? 
He insisted that Mendez and Fresco would 
never return, and that they were either 
drowned or had gone to Spain. In short, 
by lucid arguments such as these he con- 
vinced the crews that Columbus intended 
to keep them in Jamaica for the rest of 
their lives. 

Having thus induced the crews to mu- 
tiny, Porras went into the Admiral's 
state-room and demanded that he should 
instantly lead the Spaniards back to Spain. 
Columbus took the ground that this was 
an unreasonable demand, since an ocean 
voyage could not be successfully made 
without vessels ; but Porras, disgusted 
with such heartless quibbling, rushed on 



1503] HIS LAST YEARS, 257 

deck and called on his followers to embark 
in canoes and start for Cadiz without a 
moment's delay. His proposal was en- 
thusiastically received, and a tumult en- 
sued which brought the crippled Admiral 
on deck on his hands and knees, in the 
vain hope of enforcing his authority. 

It was hardly to be expected that in 
such an attitude he could strike the mu- 
tinous sailors with awe. Indeed, the 
probability that they would strike him 
instead was so great that the Adelentado 
had his brother carried back to the cabin, 
and there stood on guard over him as 
coolly as if he were not at the mercy of an 
armed mob. 

The mutineers, to the number of fifty, 
seized on a fleet of canoes and started for 
Spain by way of San Domingo. Twice 
they were driven back, and the second 
time they gave up the attempt. They 
then wandered through the island, rob- 
bing the natives and alleging that they 
were very sorry to do so, but they were 
acting under express orders from Colum- 



258 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [iEt. 67 

bus, and that, as disinterested friends of 
the noble Jamaicans, their advice was that 
the Admiral should be killed without 
delay. 

Weeks and months passed by, and no 
word came from Mendez and Fresco. 
The natives, finding the Spaniards at 
their mercy, made a corner in provisions 
and refused to sell except at an exorbi- 
tant price. Thus famine began to threaten 
the unfortunate explorers. It was then 
that Columbus performed his celebrated 
eclipse feat. He summoned the caciques, 
and told them that in view of the enor- 
mity of their conduct it had been decided 
to withdraw the moon from heaven, and 
that this purpose would be carried out at 
the end of three days. The Admiral had, 
of course, looked into his Public Ledger 
Almanac, and had noticed that a total 
eclipse of the moon, visible throughout 
the Gulf States and the West Indies, 
would take place on the night in question. 

When the third night came, and the 
eclipse began, the Indians were terribly 



1503] HIS LAST YEARS. 259 

frightened, and begged the Admiral to 
forgive them and give them back their 
beloved moon. At first he refused to 
listen to them, but when the eclipse 
reached its period of greatest obscuration 
he relented, and informed them that, for 
the sake of the young men and young 
women of Jamaica, to whom the moon 
was almost indispensable, he would give 
them one more chance. The natives, 
overwhelmed with gratitude, and deter- 
mined not to lose the moon if they could 
help it, brought all the provisions that the 
Spaniards wanted. 

This was the first instance of turning 
American celestial phenomena to prac- 
tical uses ; but the example of Columbus 
has since been followed with great success 
by our scientific men, who induce the gov- 
ernment to send them at vast expense to 
all parts of the world, under the plausible 
pretext of superintending total eclipses 
and transits of Venus. 

Mendez had been gone eight months 
when a small vessel entered the harbor 



26b CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 67 

where the shipwrecked vessels were lying. 
It carried Don Diego de Escobar, bearer 
of despatches from Ovando to Columbus. 
Ovando wrote promising to send a ship to 
rescue Columbus and his companions as 
soon as he could find one suitable for the 
purpose. Having delivered this message 
and received an answer, De Escobar in- 
stantly sailed away, to the immense dis- 
gust of everybody. He was not altogether 
a nice person, having been one of Roldan's 
gang whom Bobadilla had released from 
prison. The Admiral could not help think- 
ing that it was hardly delicate in Ovando 
to select such a messenger, but it was still 
a satisfaction to know that Mendez had 
reached San Domingo, and that in the 
course of a few years Ovando might find 
it convenient to send the promised ship. 

Columbus now thought it was a good 
time to offer an amnesty to Porras and his 
companions, on condition that they would 
return to duty. Porras rejected the offer 
with disdain. He informed his men that 
it was only a trap set by the wily Italian 



I503] HIS LAST YEARS. 26 1 

to get them once more in his power. 
When they timidly suggested that a mes- 
senger from Ovando had really visited the 
Admiral, and that this looked as if negotia- 
tions were in progress for the purpose of 
arranging for the rescue of the expedition, 
Porras boldly insisted that the alleged 
messenger and the vessel in which he was 
said to have arrived had no existence. 
They were simply *' materialized" by Colum- 
bus, who was a powerful spiritual medium, 
and they had already vanished into theno- 
thingness from which they had been called. 

Convinced by this able address, the 
mutineers decided to remain under the 
leadership of Porras, who immediately 
marched with them to attack the Admiral 
and to seize the stores that still remained. 
Don Bartholomew met them, and after a 
hard fight completely defeated them, taking 
Porras prisoner. The survivors gladly 
surrendered, and Columbus magnanimous- 
ly forgave them. 

In June, 1503, two ships arrived from 
San .Domingo. One had been fitted out 



^^2 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. {Mt. 67 

by Mendez, and the other by Ovando, 
who saw that Columbus would be rescued, 
and that he might as well earn part of the 
credit therefor. The Spaniards hurriedly 
embarked, and on the 23d of the month, 
after a stay of more than a year in Jamaica, 
they sailed for San Domingo, where they 
arrived after a voyage of about six weeks. 
Ovando professed to be exceedingly glad 
to meet the Admiral, and told him that for 
the last six or eight months he had been 
steadily occupied in wasting to a mere 
shadow, so anxious had he been to find a 
favorable moment for deciding upon the 
propriety of sending a vessel to the rescue 
of his distinguished friend. Columbus re- 
ceived his explanation with politeness, 
remarking '' Ha !" and also '* Hum !" at 
appropriate intervals, just to intimate that, 
while he did not care to argue with Ovando, 
he was not quite so credulous as some 
people imagined. The populace were dis- 
posed to overlook their bad treatment of 
their former Governor, inasmuch as his 
arrival at San Domingo was an interrup- 



1503] HIS LAST YEARS. 263 

tion of the monotony of their life ; so they 
cheered him when he passed through the 
street, and gave the old man the last 
glimpse of anything like popularity which 
he was to see. 

Columbus was not anxious to remain 
long in the island. His business affairs 
were in an intricate state of confusion, and 
though a large sum of money was due to 
him, he could not collect it. The condi- 
tion of the Indians filled him with grief. 
Under the rule of Ovando they had been 
constantly driven to revolt by oppression, 
and then mercilessly massacred, while the 
Spanish priests had expended a great 
deal of firewood and worn out several full 
sets of controversial implements, such as 
racks and thumbscrews, in converting them 
to Christianity. Columbus saw that his 
discovery of Hispaniola had led to the ruin 
and misery of its people, and he could not 
remain in any comfort amid so much suf- 
fering. Porras had already been sent as a 
prisoner to Spain, and on September 12th 
Columbus followed him. Ovando had 



264 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [^t. 67 

supplied two vessels, one commanded by 
Columbus and the other by Don Bartho- 
lomew, but one of them was soon sent 
back as being unseaworthy. After a stormy 
voyage the ship arrived at San Lucas on 
November 7th, and the sick and crippled 
Admiral was carried to Seville, where he 
intended to rest before proceeding to 
court. 

This time he was not received with any 
enthusiasm. He had so often returned 
from voyages to China without bringing 
with him so much as a broken tea-cup as a 
sample of the Celestial Kingdom, that the 
public had lost all interest in him. People 
who read in their newspapers among the 
list of hotel arrivals the name of Colum- 
bus, merely remarked, '' So he's back again 
it seems," and then proceeded to read the 
criticism upon the preceding night's bull- 
fight. The popular feeling was, that Co- 
lumbus had entirely overdone the matter 
of returning home from profitless explora- 
tions. There were other explorers who 
came back to Spain with stories much 



1503-1506] HIS LAST YEARS. 26^ 

more imaginative than those which Colum- 
bus could tell, and the Spanish public had 
turned its attention from Prester John and 
the Emperor of China to the Amazonian 
warriors of South America and the Foun- 
tain of Youth which explorers of real en- 
terprise were ready to discover. 

Had there been any knowledge of the 
science of politics in Spain, Columbus 
would have been a person of considerable 
importance in his old age. The Radicals 
would have rallied around him, and would 
have denounced the atrocious manner in 
w^hich a treacherous and reactionary mon- 
archy had treated him. Columbian clubs 
would have been established everywhere, 
and he would have been made to serve as 
the stalking-horse of an unprincipled and 
reckless faction. 

When we compare the way in which the 
Italian republicans have used the name and 
fame of Garibaldi as the most effective 
weapon in striking at the monarchy which 
has made United Italy possible, we cannot 
but despise the ignorance of politics shown 



266 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 67-70 

by the Spaniards in the beginning of the 
sixteenth century. 

Columbus, though utterly worn out, was 
still able to write letters. He wrote to the 
King, to the Queen, to everybody who had 
any influence, asking that his honors and 
privileges should be restored, and hinting 
that he was ready to be sent back to San 
Domingo as Governor. No one paid any 
attention to him. Other men were fitting 
out exploring expeditions, and Columbus, 
with his splendid dreams and his peculiar 
mixture of religion and geography, was re- 
garded as a foolish old man who had out- 
lived his original usefulness. He was too 
sick to visit the court and personally ex- 
plain why he had not discovered the Pana- 
ma Canal, and the King, having failed to 
keep his own promises, was naturally not 
at all anxious to see him. Perhaps Isa- 
bella would have still remained faithful to 
her old protege, but she was on her death- 
bed, and died without seeing him. 

In May, 1505, Columbus managed to 
go to Segovia, where Ferdinand held his 



1 503-1506] HIS LAST YEARS. 267 

court. He saw the King, but got very lit- 
tle pleasure thereby. Ferdinand was now 
a widower and his own master ; and his 
manner plainly showed Columbus that, 
whatever the King might promise, he 
never intended to keep his word and do 
justice to the man who had given him a 
new world. 

The end was now drawing near, and Co- 
lumbus made a codicil to his will, expressing 
his last wishes. Beatrix Enriquez was 
still alive, though whether she too had for- 
saken Columbus we are not told. It is 
pleasant to find that the Admiral remem- 
bered her, and in the codicil to his will or- 
dered his son Diego to see that she was pro- 
perly cared for, adding, '* and let this be 
done for the discharge of my conscience, for 
it weighs heavy on my soul." He had neg- 
lected to marry Beatrix, and, unlike most 
men in like circumstances, the neglect bur- 
dened his conscience. This codicil was 
almost the last act of his busy life ; and on 
the 20th of May, 1506, repeating the Latin 
words, In manus tuaSy Domine^ commendo 



268 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. [.Et. 70 

spiritum meum, he died with the calmness 
of a brave man and the peace of a Chris- 
tian. He had Hved seventy years, and had 
Hterally worn himself out in the service of 
the royal hound whose miserable little soul 
rejoiced when he heard that the great Ital- 
ian was dead. 

Columbus was buried almost as much as 
he was born. His first burial was in the 
convent of St. Francisco. Seven years 
later he was buried some more in the Car- 
thusian convent in Seville. In 1536 he 
was carried to San Domingo and buried 
in the Cathedral, and afterward he was, to 
some extent, buried in Havana. Whether 
Havana or San Domingo has at present 
the best claim to his grave, is a disputed 
point. 



CHAPTER XIX, 

HIS CHARACTER AND ACHIEVEMENTS. 

HITHERTO we have proceeded upon 
the assumption that Columbus was a 
real historical person. It is one of the 
limitations of biography that the writer 
must always assume the existence of the 
subject of his sketch. There are, how- 
ever, grave reasons for doubting whether 
Christopher Columbus ever lived. There 
is the matter of his birthplace. Is it cred- 
ible that he was born in seven distinct 
places? Nobody claims that George 
Washington was born in all our promi- 
nent cities, or that Robinson Crusoe, who 
was perhaps the most absolutely real per- 
son to be found in the whole range of 
biography, was born anywhere except at 
York. Can we believe that the whole of 
Columbus was simultaneously buried in 
two different West Indian cities ? If we 



270 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 

can accept any such alleged fact as this, 
we can no longer pretend that one of the 
two Italian cities which boast the posses- 
sion of the head of John the Baptist is 
the victim of misplaced confidence. 

And then the character of Columbus as 
portrayed by his admiring biographers is 
quite incredible, and his alleged treatment 
by the King and Queen whom he served 
is to the last degree improbable. The 
story of Columbus is without doubt an 
interesting and even fascinating one ; but 
can we, as fearless and honest philoso- 
phers, believe in the reality of that sweet 
Genoese vision — the heroic and noble dis- 
coverer of the New World ? 

There are strong reasons for believing 
that the legend of Christopher Columbus 
is simply a form of the Sun myth. We 
find the story in the Italian, Spanish, and 
English languages, which shows, not that 
Colombo, Colon, and Columbus ever 
lived, breathed, ate dinner, and went to 
bed, but that the myth is widely spread 
among the Indo-Germanic races, Co- 



HIS CHARACTER. 2yi 

lumbus is said to have sailed from the 
east to the west, and to have disappeared 
for a time beyond the western horizon, 
only to be found again in Spain, whence 
he had originally sailed. Even in Spain, 
he was said to have had his birthplace in 
some vague locality farther east, and to 
have reached Spain only when near his 
maturity. 

This is a beautiful allegorical descrip- 
tion of the course of the sun as it would 
appear to an unlearned ^nd imaginative 
Spaniard. He would see the sun rising 
in the distant east, warming Spain with 
his mature and noonday rays, setting be- 
yond the western horizon in the waters 
of the Atlantic, and again returning to 
Spain to begin another voyage, or course, 
through the heavens. The clouds which 
at times obscure the sun are vividly repre- 
sented by the misfortunes which dark- 
ened the career of Columbus, and his 
imprisonment in chains by Bobadilla is 
but an allegorical method of describing a 
solar eclipse. The colonists who died of 



272 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 

fever under his rule, like the Greeks who 
fell under the darts of the Sun God, re- 
mind us of the unwholesome effects pro- 
duced by the rays of a tropical sun upon 
decaying vegetation ; and the story that 
Columbus was buried in different places 
illustrates the fact that the apparent place 
of sunset changes at different points of the 
year. 

There is very much to be said in favor 
of the theory that Columbus is a personi- 
fication of the Sun, but that theory can- 
not be accepted either by a biographer 
or by any patriotic American. The one 
would have to put his biography of the 
Great Admiral in the fire, and the other 
would lose all certainty as to whether 
America had ever been discovered. We 
must resolve to believe in the reality of 
Columbus, no matter what learned sceptics 
may tell us ; and we shall find no difficulty 
in so doing if we found our belief on a 
good strong prejudice instead of reason- 
able arguments. 

Let us then permit no man to destroy 



HIS CHARACTER. 273 

our faith in Christopher Columbus. We 
can find fault with him if we choose ; we 
can refuse to accept Smith's or Brown's 
or Jones's respective estimates of his char- 
acter and deeds : but let us never doubt 
that Columbus was a real Italian explorer ; 
that he served an amiable Spanish Queen 
and a miserable Spanish King ; and that 
he sailed across a virgin ocean to discover 
a virgin continent. 

There prevails to a very large extent the 
impression that the voyages of Columbus 
prove that he was a wonderfully skilful 
navigator, and it is also commonly be- 
lieved that the compass and the astrolabe 
were providentially invented expressly in 
order to assist him in discovering America. 
There was, of course, a certain amount of 
practical seamanship displayed in keeping 
the Santa Maria and her successors from 
being swamped by the waves of the At- 
lantic ; but it may be safely asserted that 
only a very slight knowledge of navigation 
was either exhibited or needed by Colum- 
bus. The ships of the period could do 



274 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, 

nothing except with a fair wind. When 
the wind was contrary they drifted slowly 
to leeward, and when the wind was fair a 
small-boy with a knowledge of the elements 
of steering could have kept any one of 
them on her course. The compass was a 
handy thing to have on board a ship, since 
it gave to the sailors the comfortable feel- 
ing which an ignorant man always has in 
the presence of any piece of mechanism 
which he fancies is of assistance to him; 
but for all practical purposes the sun and 
the stars were as useful to Columbus as 
was his compass with its unintelligible 
freaks of variation. So, too, the astrolabe 
must have impressed the sailors as a sort 
of powerful and beneficent fetish, but the 
log-book of Columbus would have testified 
that the astrolabe was more ornamental 
than useful. 

The system of navigation followed 
by Columbus was to steer as nearly 
west as practicable on the way to 
America, and to steer as nearly east as 
possible on his way back to Spain. In 



HIS CHARACTER. 2y$ 

the one case he would be sure to hit some 
part of the New World if he sailed long 
enough, and in the other case persistent 
sailing would be sure to bring him within 
sight of either Europe or Africa. In 
neither case could he so far overrun his 
reckoning as to arrive unexpectedly at 
some point in the interior of a continent. 
The facts prove that this was precisely 
the way in which Columbus navigated his 
ship. When steering for America he 
never knew where he would find land, and 
was satisfied if he reached any one of the 
countless large and small West India 
islands; and on returning to Spain there 
was as much probability that he would 
find himself at the Azores or at the mouth 
of the Tagus as at any Spanish port. 

The truth is, that neither the seaman- 
ship of Columbus nor the invention of the 
compass or the astrolabe made his first 
voyage successful. Probably any one of 
the thousands of contemporary Italian 
sailors could have found the West Indies 
as easily as Columbus found them, pro- 



2/6 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 

vided the hypothetical sailor had possessed 
sufficient resolution to sail westward until 
the land should stop his way. What we 
should properly be called upon to admire 
in Columbus as a navigator of unknown 
seas is the obstinacy with which he ad- 
hered to his purpose of sailing due west 
until land should be found, no matter if it 
should take all summer. It was an ob- 
stinacy akin to that with which our great 
Union General fought his last campaign. 
Such obstinacy will sometimes accomplish 
greater results than the most skilful navi- 
gator or the profoundest strategist could 
accomplish. Had the man who discovered 
our country or the man who saved it been 
less obstinate, American history would 
have been widely different from what it 
has been. 

As the astrolabe has been mentioned 
several times in the course of this narra- 
tive, it may be well to describe it, espe- 
cially as it is now obsolete. It was an 
instrument of considerable size, made of 
some convenient material — usually either 



HIS CHARACTER. 2^^ 

metal or wood, or both — and fitted with 
various contrivances for the purpose of 
observing the heavenly bodies. When a 
navigator took an observation with the 
astrolabe he immediately went be lowand 
"worked it up" with the help of a slate 
and pencil, and in accordance with the 
rules of arithmetic and algebra. The 
result was a series of figures which 
greatly surprised him, and which he in- 
terpreted according to the humor in 
which he happened to find himself. A 
skilful navigator who could guess his 
latitude with comparative accuracy gener- 
ally found that an observation taken with 
the astrolabe would give him a result not 
differing more than eighty or ninety de- 
grees from the latitude in which he had 
previously imagined his ship to be, and if 
he was an ingenious man he could often 
find some way of reconciling his observa- 
tion with his guesses. Thus the astrolabe 
gave him employment and exercised his 
imagination, and was a great blessing to 
the lonesome and careworn mariner. 



27S CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 

It is our solemn duty, as Americans, to 
take a warm interest in Christopher Co- 
lumbus, for the reason that he had the 
good taste and judgment to discover our 
beloved country. Efforts have frequently 
been made to deprive him of that honor. 
It has been urged that he was not the 
first man who crossed the Atlantic, that 
he never saw the continent of North 
America, and that he was not the original 
discoverer of South America. Most of this 
is undoubtedly true. It is now generally 
conceded the Norwegians landed on the 
coast of New England about six hundred 
years before Columbus was born ; that 
Americus Vespuccius was the first Euro- 
pean to discover the South American 
continent ; that Sebastian Cabot redis- 
covered North America after the Nor- 
wegians had forgotten all about it ; and 
that Columbus never saw any part of what 
is now the United States of America. 
For all that, Columbus is properly en- 
titled to be called the discoverer of the 
New World, including the New England, 



ms CHARACTER, 279 

Middle, Gulf, Western, and Pacific States. 
Who invented steamboats ? And who in- 
vented the magnetic telegraph ? Every 
patriotic American echo will answer, " Ful- 
ton and Morse." There were nevertheless 
at least four distinct men who moved ves- 
sels by machinery driven by steam before 
Fulton built his steamboat, and nearly 
twice that number of men had sent mes- 
sages over a wire by means of electricity 
before Morse invented the telegraph. 
The trouble with the steamboats invented 
by the pre-Fultonians, and the telegraphs 
invented by the predecessors of Morse, 
was that their inventions did not stay in- 
vented. Their steamboats and telegraphs 
were forgotten almost as soon as they were 
devised ; but Fulton and Morse invented 
their steamboats and telegraphs so thor- 
oughly that they have stayed invented 
ever since. 

Now, the Norwegians discovered Amer- 
ica in such an unsatisfactory way that the 
discovery came to nothing. They did not 
keep it discovered. They came and looked 



280 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 

at New England, and, deciding that they 
had no use for it, went home and forgot 
all about it. Columbus, who knew noth- 
ing of the forgotten voyage of the Nor- 
wegians, discovered the West India islands 
and the route across the Atlantic in such 
a workmanlike and efficient way that his 
discoveries became permanent. He was 
the first man to show people the way to 
San Domingo and Cuba, and after he had 
done this it was an easy thing for other 
explorers to discover the mainland of 
North and South America. He thus 
discovered the United States as truly as 
Fulton discovered the way to drive the 
City of Ro77te from New York to Liver- 
pool, or Morse discovered the method of 
sending telegrams over the Atlantic cable. 
We need not be in the least disturbed 
by the learned men who periodically de- 
monstrate that Leif Ericson, as they famil- 
iarly call him, was the true discoverer of 
our country. We need never change 
" Hail Columbia" into '' Hail Ericsonia," 
and there is not the least danger Co- 



HIS CHARACTER, 28 1 

lumbia College will ever be known as 
Leifia University. We can cheerfully ad- 
mit that Leif Ericson — or, to give him 
what was probably his full name, Elipha- 
let B. Ericson — and his Norwegians landed 
somewhere in New England, and we can 
even forgive the prompt way in which they 
forgot all about it, by assuming that they 
landed on Sunday or on a fast-day, and 
were so disheartened that they ne\^er 
wanted to hear the subject spoken of again. 
We can grant all this, and still cherish the 
memory of Columbus as the true and only 
successful discoverer of America. 

Most biographers have written of Co- 
lumbus in much the same way that a 
modern campaign biographer writes the 
life of the Presidential candidate from 
whom he hopes to receives an office. 
They forget that he was never nominated 
by any regular party convention, and that 
it is therefore wrong to assume, without 
any sufficient evidence, that he was the 
greatest and best man that ever lived. He 
was undoubtedly a bold sailor, but he 



2S2 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 

lived in an age when bold sailors were 
produced in quantities commensurate with 
the demands of exploration, and we can- 
not say that he was any bolder or better 
sailor than the Cabots or his own brother 
Bartholomew. He was certainly no braver 
soldier than Ojeda, and his conquests were 
trifling in comparison with those of Cortez 
and Pizarro. 

As a civil ruler he was a conspicuous 
failure. It is true that the;^ colonists over 
whom he was placed were, many of them, 
turbulent scoundrels ; but the unanimity 
with which they condemned his adminis- 
tration, and the uniformity with which 
every commissioner appointed to investi- 
gate his conduct as a ruler condemned 
him, compel us to believe that he was not 
an able governor either of Spanish colo- 
nists or contiguous Indians. He was not 
habitually cruel, as was Pizarro, but he in- 
sisted upon enslaving the Indians for his 
own profit, though Queen Isabella had 
forbidden him to enslave them or to treat 
them harshly. 



HIS CHARACTER. 2S3 

He could be magnanimous at times, but 
he would not undertake a voyage of dis- 
covery except upon terms which would 
ensure him money and rank, and he did 
not hesitate to claim for himself the re- 
ward which was offered, during his first 
voyage, to the man who should first see 
the land, and which was fairly earned by 
one of his sailors. 

As an explorer, he failed to find a path 
to India, and he died under the delusion 
that Pekin was somewhere in Costa Rica. 
His first voyage across the broad Atlantic 
seems to us a wonderful achievement, but 
in either difficulty or danger it cannot be 
compared with Stanley's march across the 
African continent. We must concede to 
Columbus a certain amount of boldness 
and perseverance, but we cannot shut our 
eyes to the faults of his conduct and 
character. 

And yet Columbus was a true hero. 
Whatever flaws there may have been in 
the man, he was of a finer clay than his 
fellows, for he could dream dreams that 



284 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 

their dull imaginations could not conceive. 
He belonged to the same land which gave 
birth to Garibaldi, and, like the Great 
Captain, the Great Admiral lived in a 
high, pure atmosphere of splendid visions, 
far removed from and above his fellow- 
men. The greatness of Columbus cannot 
be argued away. The glow of his enthu- 
siasm kindles our own, even at the long 
distance of four hundred years, and his 
heroic figure looms grander through suc- 
cessive centuries. 



THE END. 



INDEX 



Aguado, Juan, appointed in- 
vestigator, 185; investigates, 
188; makes nothing by it, 

195- 

Angel, Luis de St., 56; offers 
to advance money, 57. 

Astrolabe, invented, 32; de- 
scription of, 276, 

Black Crook, thought to have 
broken out in Spain, 194. 

Bobadilla, Francisco de, ar- 
rives in Hispaniola, 221; ar- 
rests Columbus^ 228; sends, 
Columbus to Spain, 229. 

Boyle, Father Bernardo, 133; 
desires to burn somebody, 
150, 163; is disappointed, 
174. 

Caonabo, 160 ; captured, 175 ; 
dies, 193. 

Cedo, Fermin, alleged scienti- 
fic person, 158. 

Cogoletto, alleged birth-place 
of Columbus, I. 

Columbus, Bartholomew, born 
and translated, 4; is sent to 
England, 38; arrives at His- 
paniola, 171; made Governor 
of Isabella, 191 ; able com- 
mander, 209 ; arrested, 228 ; 
sails with fourth exploring 
expedition, 236 ; defeats Por- 
ras, 261. 



Columbus, Christopher, born, 

I ; translated, 3 ; anecdotes 
of boyhood, 5 ; goes to 
Pavia, 9 ; becomes sailor, 

II ; engages in Neapolitan 
expedition, 12; deceives sail- 
ors or posterity, 13 ; does 
not arrive in Portugal, 16 ; 
does arrive there, 18 ; marries, 
19 ; makes maps, 20 ; lives 
at Porto Santo, 21 ; goes to 
Iceland or elsewhere, 28 ; 
talks to King John, 35 ; goes 
to Spain, 38 ; deposited with 
Quintanilla,4i; meets Scien- 
tific Congress, 43 ; goes to 
Convent of Rabida,49; meets 
committee on exploration, 
54 ; starts for France, 56 ; 
goes to Palos, 6r ; sails on 
first voyage, 67 ; keeps false 
reckoning, 56; discovers San 
Salvador, 89; sails for Spain, 
97 ; wrecked, 102 : founds 
colony, 105 ; sees Mermaids, 
no ; displays seamanship, 
115; arrives at Azores, 116 ; 
arrives at Palos, 125 ; flat 
tens egg, 135 I sails on sec- 
ond voyage, 138 ; discovers 
Dominica, 141 ; returns to 
Spain, 191 ; loses popular- 
ity, 196 ; sails on third voy- 
age, 200; discovers Trinidad, 
204 ; invents ingenious the- 



286 



lyfDEX. 



ory, 205 ; arrives at Hispa- 
niola, 20S ; arrested, 22B ; 
sent to Spain, 229 ; arrives 
in Spain, 230 ; sails on fourth 
voyage, 1:37 ; reaches Hon- 
duras, 240 ; searches for 
Panama Canal, 240 ; founds 
colony at Veragua, 243 ; 
sails away, 250 ; reaches 
Jamaica, 251 ; manages 
lunar eclipse, 258 ; reaches 
Hispaniola, 262 ; returns to 
Spain, 264 ; dies, 268 ; is 
extensively buried, 268 ; 
perhaps is a sun-myth, 269; 
character, 2S4. 

Columbus, Diego, born, 4 ; 
Governor of Isabella, 162 ; 
sent to Spain to wait for 
opening in Connecticut, 177; 
returns to Hispaniola, 187 ; 
arrested by Bobadilla, 227, 

Columbus, Dominico, combs 
wool, 3. 

Compass, variation of, 55. 

Congress of Salamanca, 46 ; 
its tediousness, 45. 

Correo, Pedro, 21; he winks, 
25 ; is talked to death, 34. 

Enriquez, Beatrix, loves not 
wisely but too well, 41 ; is 
mentioned in Columbus's 
will, 267. 

Ericson, Eliphalet B., discov- 
ers America, 281. 

Eclipse, story of, 258. 

Egg, story of, 135. 

Ferdinand, King of Aragon, 
40. 

Guacanagari, his affection for 
Columbus, loi ; his suspi- 



cious leg, 150 ; falls exten- 
sively in love, 152 ; protects 
Spaniards, 175. 

Isabella, Queen of Castile, 41. 

John, King of Portugal, 29 ; 
his dishonorable conduct, 
34. 

La Navidad, founded, 105 ; 

destroyed, 148. 
Lcdesma, Pedro, swims ashore, 

249. 

Marchena, Juan Perez de, prior 
of a convent, 50 ; makes a 
night of it with Columbus, 
51- 

Margarite, rebels, 174. 

Mendez, Diego, tries to reach 
Hispaniola from Jamaica, 
252 ; succeeds, 254. 

Mendoza, Cardinal de, gives 
dinner, 135. 

Mexica, De, rebels, 219. 

Ojeda, Alonzo de, is a just 
man, 158; captures Caonabo, 
175 ; arrives at Xaragua, 
215 ; his interview with 
Roldan, 216. 

Ovando, Nicholas de, sent to 
Hispaniola, 233 ; refuses to 
let Columbus land, 237 ; de- 
lays to send aid to Colum- 
bus 255 ; finally does send 
it, 262, 

Perestrello. Mrs., mother-in- 
lav/ of Columbus, 20 ; her 
use of the stove-lid, 21. 

Pinzon. Martin Alonzo, fits 
out ship to join Columbus, 



INDEX. 



287 



56 ; has a brilliant idea, 83 ; 
deserts, 97 ; met by Colum- 
bus, lOb ; reaches Palos, 
127 ; displays good sense, 
12S. 

Pinzon, Vincente Yanez, fits 
out ship to join Columbus, 
56. 

Porras, Francisco de, muti- 
nies, 256 ; defeated and 
captured, 261. 

Prester John, who he was, 
31 ; who he was not, 166. 

Quibian, attacks colony, 2.4O. 



Quintanilla,receives Columbus 
on deposit, 41. 

Roldan, Francisco, rebels, 210; 
compromises, 215; outwits 
Ojeda, 216 ; drowned, 239. 

Ships, rigged by Indianians,64. 

Talavera, De, the Queen's 

confessor, 43. 
Triano, De, discovers land, 

86 ; is disgusted. 

Villejo, Alonzo de, risks his 
eyes, 229. 



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